Ghostly Double
by DreamofRob10
Summary: When you're young, you imagine living in a fairy tale life. Well, my name is Bella Swan and when I was sixteen, I found out there was more to life than your everyday job, school and going out to have fun. I found out about Vampires, Wolves and Witches...all by turning a corner at school. Rated M...Can be Angsty at times. Mild Violence. AU/Supernatural. On HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, So, I started writing this and couldn't stop. I love Vampire Diaries and True Blood. Some of the content in this story, I borrowed from those shows. Not all of course.**

**I hope you will grow to love this is the story goes on. It may seem to take off slow, but I promise that it will pick up later on.**

**Ghostly Double is the definition of ...Doppelganger...and yes, there is a Doppelganger is this story. It may seem a little twisty at first, but hopefully you'll catch on. **

**I'm looking forward to see what everyone says about this and will hopefully give me a chance. Please do.**

**Update: 7/30/2012**

**SM Owns...I do not.**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 1**

**BPOV**

* * *

To me, I'd say I was a simple, normal girl that loved music, and reading. To a few other people, I was a closed off, boring person. I didn't go out to parties or sleepovers; I normally kept to myself.

Then, there would be the other people. The ones who would think I was completely insane, but I'm far from insane.

In my opinion, my insane title, if given, comes with a story. A story that most would think was far fetched, and unbelievable.

My whole life changed about five months ago when I met Edward Anthony Masen. He preferred to be called Anthony. He claimed that Edward was a name for an older person, but little did I know at the time, it suited him perfectly.

We met on the first day of school. He was a Senior, with me technically being a Sophomore, but I was taking Junior classes. I had taken extra courses over the summer break to boost up my credits to graduate early.

I had met Anthony in the cafeteria. He was behind me in the lunch line when I turned to grab one more item for my tray, and I smacked right into his chest. I hadn't realized how close he was to me, "I'm so sorry."

"No worries," he said, smiling down at me.

The moment I looked at him, I was done for, but I knew I didn't stand a chance with a guy as good looking as him.

Boy was I wrong. From that day forward, we had been inseparable.

I eventually met his family. They were the nicest people that you could ever meet.

His parents were Marcus and Claire Masen. Both being in the medical field. Claire being a nurse and Marcus a heart surgeon.

He had a brother, also, Emmett, that was a Senior, along with Anthony. I had eventually found out that they were adopted. Emmett was just as handsome, and sweet, as Anthony was.

As the months went by, I started feeling like things were a little off with them. I could never pin point exactly what was causing me to question myself. Anthony always seemed to try and distract me with his beautiful green eyes or by kissing me; to keep me from asking more questions.

I always fell for it; telling myself that the next time, I'd ask him.

We never really did anything with each other; as far as dates or anything for fun. Our time was mainly spent with just each other. We'd watch movies, read or just simply laze around and talk. He seemed too smart for his age, which I assumed was seventeen.

His knowledge about things; events that happened years and years before, seemed to be very accurate, and with great detail. It was almost as if he were there, himself. That's one of the questions he finally answered for me, _"I just like_ _to read a lot,"_ he had said one day after he told me a story about something that happened back in the early 1900's. It was really bizarre.

Small things started happening, here and there. I started noticing that when I was over for dinner, they would eat, but not quite as much. They seemed to just pick at their food. Marcus always seemed to have a glass of a very dark red wine. I never questioned it. He was an adult, after all. I witnessed Claire, a hand full of times, drinking the same wine. Again, I never questioned it.

One day, that all changed.

It was a nice day out. Anthony and I had agreed to meet outside by the picnic tables for lunch. I was walking along the sidewalk next to the gym, which was right next to the cafeteria.

My feet came to a screeching halt when I rounded the corner and saw Emmett with his girlfriend, Jane, in an intimate embrace. From where I stood, it looked completely innocent. To me, it looked like he was kissing along her neck; her head turned to the side to give him better access.

It wasn't until Emmett looked up and noticed me, that I knew I had seen something that I shouldn't have.

Emmett's face had blood running down the side of his lips, and I could see, from where I stood, there was a huge bite mark on Jane's neck.

I was frozen for a split second before I took off running.

I didn't get very far. Emmett caught me, wrapping his hand around my mouth to keep me from screaming, "Shhh. . .Bella, please. Let me explain."

The look in his eyes was desperate and pleading. He wanted to make me understand, but I was reluctant to let him try.

"Please, Bella. We all owe you an explanation. Just give me a chance to get everyone together, and we'll explain." He set me back down on my feet, "Promise you won't scream if I move my hand?"

I nodded my head lightly. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, so I complied to his request of being quiet.

Emmett pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and sent a text message to someone. Who? I didn't know.

It must have been Anthony because he was next to us in a flash.

It was only a few minutes before all four of us were in Anthony's car. Emmett drove with Jane, in the passenger seat. She looked calm about the whole situation. Unlike me, my heart was nearly pounding out of my chest. My nerves were twitching to grab the door handle, and try to jump out. I also noticed that Jane had a scarf around her neck. I assumed it was being used to cover the bite mark that Emmett had left on her.

We were quiet the whole ride. I kept receiving glances from Emmett, through the rear-view mirror. Anthony didn't speak; not touching me, which was not normal for him. He seemed almost afraid to get close to me.

When we arrived at their house, Claire and Marcus were on the front porch waiting for us. They looked a little sad and taken aback. It was odd seeing them this way. They were always so happy with smiles on their faces.

I continued to stay quiet; not sure of what was to come in the next step of them explaining. What I had seen at school, how could they explain that away?

Claire greeted me with a hug, "Hi, sweetheart." I nodded slowly and was guided into the living room.

I took a seat in a chair closet to the door in hopes of a quick get away, if needed.

Everyone was quiet for a few moments until Claire entered with a glass of iced tea for me. She took a seat next to Anthony. He couldn't take his eyes off me; he had the same pleading look that Emmett had.

Marcus was the first to speak, "Bella, we'd like to explain a few things to you if you'll give us a chance. Then we'll be glad to answer any questions that you might have."

I still couldn't speak, so I answered with a small nod.

"I'm not exactly sure what you saw, but I'm sure it was enough to lead us here." Marcus shifted his feet; taking a seat on the arm of the love-seat next to Claire, "Could you tell us what you saw?"

I glanced at Emmett and Jane, not sure of what I was looking for. My voice was dry and raspy when I spoke, "I saw Emmett biting on Jane's neck," I scooted close to the edge of my seat, "And he had blood all over his mouth."

Emmett sighed; sinking down into his seat next to Jane. Their hands were clasped together; for support, I was sure.

"Emmett, would you like to justify your reasons to Bella?" Marcus seemed to be playing mediator.

Emmett cleared his throat, "Actually, Marcus, I was sorta hoping you could start at the beginning."

"I could do that." Marcus looked over at me, "Bella, do you have time or do you need to get home?"

I shook my head, "No, my dad won't be home for a while."

"Okay, I suppose I should start then." He got up from where he was sitting and walked over to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself half a glass of some sort of amber liquid.

I had seen Marcus indulge in a drink before, so I didn't question his actions.

He returned to his previous seat, "In 1867, I was a forty year old Rancher. We had. . ."

I cut him off before he could continue, "Wait, wait, wait. 1867? And you were forty? That would make you. . ."

Realization dawned on me and my eyes grew wide as saucers, "Yes, 142 years old. Your math is very accurate."

"Wha. . .how? I don't understand." Confusion filled me and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why Marcus didn't look a day over thirty-five, if he was 142 years old. It just wasn't possible.

"If you'll let me explain, you'll understand. Well, we all hope that you will." I nodded. I waved my hand toward him; gesturing for him to continue.

"Okay, like I said, in 1867, I was a Rancher with more than a thousand heads of cattle and countless acres of farmland. I don't quite remember correctly, but I think I had close to 1,500 acres of property back then. It had been handed down for two generations before it was handed down to me. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to be able to hire plenty of ranch and farm hands."

Marcus paused for a minute to take a sip of his drink, "Do you have any questions so far?"

"No, no. Go ahead; I'm all ears." And I truly was. I was still quite dumbfounded over his age.

Anthony still hadn't spoken a word. He sat as still as the others, while Marcus told his story.

"All right. Well, I had about fifteen ranch and farm hands that we provided room and board for. They were mostly passerby's, needing to make a little money on their way to their next destination. Aside from those fifteen employees, there was another ten that lived in town with their families and would come into work everyday. Except for Sunday's of course. I gave everyone an option to take the day off to use it for religious reasons or to just spend it with their families. There was only a pick few that would actually take the day off." He paused and took another sip.

"There was one particular Sunday, though, where everyone had taken the day off to go into town to volunteer with a barn raising. Except for one. His name was Demetri. He had been working with me from the moment I took over the land. If I remember correctly, he also worked there when I was a child, very vaguely, though. Anyway, we had been working out in the field getting it all ready to get a new crop of cotton planted. We had gotten most of what we could, done, so we decided to get on our horses and do a property check. We mainly checked the fences to see if any of them needed to be mended." Marcus shifted, where he sat, looking a little uncomfortable.

"We had come across an area of the fence that was down, so we decided to get it fixed before we lost any of our cattle through it. Anyway, when we approached it, the fence appeared to be cut instead of breaking from normal weather wear. So, Demetri pulled all the tools we needed, out of his saddle bag, and we got to work. Normally, mending a fence didn't take long, but the fence had been cut, so we had to improvise with the stuff we had on hand." Marcus sighed and stood up; walking to the large picture window.

He stood, staring out over the back yard for a few minutes, before he continued with his story, "Demetri had always been a great worker. He was like a part of the family. He'd always eat dinner with us, and attend any social affairs, as part of the family. My kids called him Uncle Demetri."

I cut him off again, not thinking before I spoke, "You had kids? How many?"

"I had three. And a wife, too – Elizabeth. We had been child hood sweethearts. We married when I was seventeen and she was just sixteen. See, back then, it wasn't uncommon for kids to be married that young." He turned to face us, "We had our first son, a year later -Phillip. He was our pride and joy; the spitting image of me, right down to the cowlick, like mine." He pointed to the upper right side of his head, to the hairline of his sandy blonde hair. It was very noticeable.

"Anyway, sorry, I got off track." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the pane of the huge picture window, "As I was saying, Demetri had never done wrong by me or my family. He never gave us any reason to not trust him. Like I said before, he was family to us." Marcus shook his head; seeming to clear his thoughts, "When Demetri climbed up on his horse so we could pull the barbed wire, tight enough. . ." He trailed off, sighing heavily, "What we didn't expect to happen was the wire snapping. There was so much force behind the wire breaking, that it was like a whip; it slashed across my neck, hitting my jugular. I didn't even know what happened until I felt the pain. It was like a blow torch to the whole left side of my neck. Blood was pouring out of me quicker than I could react, but Demetri had other plans on helping save my life. Next thing I knew, Demetri was crouched over me; biting into his wrist and forcing me to drink his blood from his wound. He kept telling me to drink and that everything would be okay. I wasn't fully comprehending what he was doing, so I just did what he told me to do. It all happened so fast, but before I could recollect what I saw, I had passed out from the pain. It was a pain that I'll never forget; even to this day." As I looked at Marcus, I couldn't see any distinguished scaring on his neck, anywhere.

I looked at him quizzically, "What happened after you woke up?"

Everyone was still quiet, letting Marcus do all of the explaining to me, "I wasn't exactly sure. I woke up in my bed with Elizabeth sitting next to me. She had told me I was out for about six hours. She kept giving me weird looks; some of concern and others, of fear. She kept glancing over her shoulder like she was expecting someone to come into our room, but all my family was already in the room with us. Phillip, Daniel and Joshua were just arriving back from town when Demetri pulled me from his horse to carry me into the house."

I should've been completely confused by his story, but I was understanding all of it for the most part. I just couldn't figure out why Demetri would make Marcus drink his blood.

"Marcus, why'd Demetri make you drink his blood?"

"Well, when I had woken up, I was startled by the fact that I didn't feel any more pain. I just felt like I had a nice long nap. I expected to be covered in tons of bandages, but I wasn't. There wasn't even a mark on my neck where the wire slashed me."

I was definitely confused now. _How the heck did he not have bandages all over his_ _neck?_

"I know what your thinking," he conveyed; looking at me skeptically, "I was wondering the same thing and apparently, Elizabeth must've known what I was wondering because she got up and told me that she'd get Demetri. When she said his name, the image of him forcing his bloody wrist into my mouth, flashed through my head. I honestly didn't know what to think. I had so many scenarios running through my head. My first thought was that he was some sort of Voodoo doctor or even a witch. Actually men witches are called Warlocks, but I didn't find that out until later in life."

I was confused again, "Wait. . ." I put my hands up; stopping him before he could continue, "Witches and Warlocks?"

"Yeah, well, that'll come later. I wanna finish telling you the rest of what happened, but before I do, I think we should take a break. Claire, would you mind making everyone some snacks? I could help you."

"Oh sure, honey. I think that's a great idea." They excused themselves from the living room; leaving Emmett, Jane, Anthony and me in silence, to head for the kitchen.

Emmett and Jane excused themselves next, heading for the back porch, and I got up, making my way to the bathroom.

I used the toilet, and while I washed my hands, I splashed water on my face. I stood, staring at myself in the mirror, trying to figure out what I was getting myself into. I wasn't even seventeen yet and already dealing with a major issue. I guess I wasn't giving myself enough credit, mentally, to cope with what Marcus was telling me.

I stepped out of the bathroom, and Anthony was standing waiting for me with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He looked at me pointedly, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I felt like I couldn't deny him. The urge to go wherever he was, was insistent, "Sure. You wanna go up to your room or out front?" No matter what was going on, I was still felt comfortable being around Anthony for some reason.

We started walking down the hall, his hand on the small of my back, "I think out front will be fine."

We continued walking, and passed Marcus and Claire. Anthony signaled with his finger to give us a few minutes alone. Marcus gave a single nod of his head while Claire looked worried.

Once on the front porch, I wasn't sure if I should sit or stand, so I chose to stand, and lean against the banister.

Anthony stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking a little nervous, "I just wanted to let you know that whatever Marcus tells you, my feelings for you are genuine, and I'm hoping that you'll stay a little longer after he's done."

"Anthony, what's goin' on? Really? Honestly, I'm feeling a little spooked, right now." He sighed heavily, and dropped his head, looking at the ground, "You want me to wait until Marcus is done, don't you?"

He looked up at me, pleadingly, "Please?" Was all he asked. I figured that he was already beating himself up inside over the secret that he's kept from me.

"Fine, but I can't promise I'll stay, okay. I don't want to give you a false hope." And I really didn't. All of it depended solely on what Marcus told me.

"Okay. I just. . ." he shook his head, "Never mind. Let's get back inside."

This time, Anthony sat closer to me. I could see the hope pouring from him, and it almost broke my heart.

Once everyone was settled in their seats again, with drinks and snacks, Marcus cleared his throat for everyone's attention, "Are we all set?"

With a firm nod, I especially, was anxious to hear the rest of the story.

"Okay, where'd I leave off? Oh, yes. . .when I was thinking Demetri was a witch or something because I wasn't in any pain, and there wasn't any marks on my neck." His phone started to ring, but he silenced it, "Elizabeth returned a few minutes later, after she left the room, with Demetri following her. He looked like someone had ran over his dog. He looked so sad, and I felt sorry for him the moment I laid eyes on him. He didn't come too far into the room, though; staying by the door while Elizabeth took her seat next to me, again. He didn't beat around the bush about anything and came right out, and said that he was a . . . vampire."

My heart sank at the word. There was no way this was real. They're trying to play some kind of joke on me, "Vampire? Is this some sort of sick joke?"

Marcus shook his head slightly, "I can assure you that it isn't a joke. I thought so, too, until he extended his fangs, for me to see."

"Fangs? That's just. . .that's too hard to believe. You only read about stuff like that in stories. I don't know what all of you are playing at, but . . ."

Marcus stepped forward. I got up and darted for the front door. I needed to get away from here as soon as I could. I didn't make it very far before Anthony grabbed me by the tops of my arms, and looked into my eyes. I was shaking, and scared to death, "Bella, sit down and listen to what Marcus has to say."

I listened, my body moving on its own accord, and went back to my seat without any more argument. It was like my body had a mind of its own.

Marcus came closer to me. I wanted to get up and run for it, but it was like my body had bricks sitting on it, "Bella, please just listen. I'm being completely truthful with you. Look. . ." He opened his mouth just enough for me to see his top teeth, and sure enough, two of his teeth extended down.

I wanted to run as fast as I could, away from this place, and never look back, but I looked around me, seeing that everyone was still seated; looking at me for a chance. I pushed myself further into the chair I was sitting in. I don't know why, but I felt a little safer.

I tried to get my breathing under control, to calm myself down. It took a couple of minutes, and they let me have it, "So, fangs?" I tried to sound nonchalant, but it came out as a nervous laugh.

"Yes. I didn't know what to think at first. My first instinct was to be scared of course, much like yourself, but I looked around the room at my kids, and my wife. They were all focused on me, and I couldn't figure out why they weren't as alarmed as I was. My wife noticed right away that something was running through my head, so she explained that Demetri told them all about what he was, and that all he wanted to do was live a simple life. Which was understandable because that's all we wanna do, but back then we never had any trouble, and we got along with everyone. We had great business relationships with the people in town, so I knew that Demetri was probably telling the truth about not wanting to harm anyone. We were his family, and I felt that we were going to keep things the way they were." Marcus got up from his seat, and went to the liquor cabinet again, refilling his drink.

To say I was still stunned, and nervous, would be putting it mildly, "Demetri eventually went to explain how he had started working for my great grandfather on that very ranch. I had so many questions, and he did answer them, over time." He walked over, and took his seat next to Claire. He crossed one leg over the other; giving me a few minutes to register all the information that he just shared with me.

"We all took the news rather well. I suppose that's where trust fell into place, so I asked why he forced me to drink his blood. He simply answered, _"You would_ _have died Marcus. You have a wife, and kids to raise, and they need you." _He then went on to explain that his blood healed me. It did the same for him. If he got cut, he was healed within a matter of minutes, but what he failed to mention was, if you were to die while you still had vampire blood in your blood stream, you would turn." He sighed, and gave me a small smile.

"I guess I learned the hard way because as ironic as it sounds, the next day, we were out doing a cattle drive with the 1,500 cattle that we had, and believe it or not, I was trampled to death. My horse had gotten spooked; throwing me from my horse. I landed in the middle of a large group of the cattle, and because my horse got spooked, so did they. What's weird is, I remember dying. I remember the pain as the cows crushed my skull, and broke nearly every bone in my body." Marcus stopped talking as recollection crossed his face. I was sure his memories of dying were hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"So, you're telling me that you're a vampire?"

He simply answered with, "Yes."

My heart was racing, but I knew I needed to ask, "And I'm guessing that everyone else here is, too?"

Emmett spoke up next, "Not Jane."

Confusion crossed my face, "She's my feeder. We can compel any humans to forget."

"Forget? You mean, you could suck me nearly dry, and make me forget what happened?" I shook my head because this was sounding so much like the mythical stories that I had read about numerous times, as a kid.

Emmett scooted forward on his seat, to the edge, "Look, we do it to cover us so no one finds out. I could have easily compelled you, but Anthony would have put a wooden stake through my heart."

"I've seen all of you eat food, and drink sodas. I thought vampires only drank blood?" It was obvious that there was more to them then just being blood drinkers.

Marcus got up, and walked closer; kneeling down to the floor in front of me, "It's hard to explain it if you don't live like we do. We're like a super hero, sort of. We eat human food, drink sodas, and we can even use the bathroom, but blood is what gives us the sustenance to stay alive. We can go close to a week without it. During that time, we eat burgers, fries and pies." He smiled at his attempt of a joke.

A small smile appeared on my face from his joke. It was lame, but it made me relax a little, "You're comedians, too?"

"It was lame, huh?" He quirked his eyebrows at me.

"Yes, don't quit your day job," I simply stated, smiling at him.

"I'll keep that in mind." He stood up from where he was kneeling, "I'm sure you have tons of questions. Did you want to take another break? We can play twenty questions afterward, if you'd like," he suggested. I looked at the clock on the wall, noticing we had been here for nearly four hours. My dad was due home within the hour, but all I needed to do was give him a call, and let him know where I was.

Claire stepped in front of me after I stood up, "Sweetie, would you like to stay for dinner? Marcus could call your father if you'd like?"

"No need to. I just have to give him a call to check in. I'll just tell him I'm staying for dinner." She pulled me into a hug. She still felt like the same Claire that I've known for the last three months.

I did stay for dinner, and my dad didn't have a problem with it.

Tons of questions were answered. I learned everyone's true ages. Anthony was actually 120 years old.

I had to completely push that out of my mind. I had a repulsed feeling at first, but as I looked at him, he definitely didn't look like he was a day over the seventeen years of age, when he was turned.

He also told me all about when he was changed, and that it was his choice. He had been living with terminal brain cancer, and Marcus was his doctor. He said his mother had pleaded with Marcus to save him, but she didn't know the consequences that were being brought forward to save him. All she knew was, Marcus was saving his life.

As the stories went on, it turned out, Claire was actually older than Marcus, but only by a few years, making her 145 years old. They explained how they met in Ireland in 1901, and had been together ever since.

Emmett was the youngest of them all. He had just celebrated his 96th birthday the month before.

I kept playing everything over and over in my head. I had a boyfriend that was 120 years old, and I was sixteen measly years old. I suppose it was nice enough that Emmett and Anthony were changed while they were still teenagers in order to be able to pass for high school students.

My biggest fear, by the end of the night, was being compelled. I don't know if I would ever know it, but I hoped that they never did it.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think. I'll post rec's with my next update. Lots of thanks to LoopyLou992 for pre-reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**_We're heading into chapter 2. After this chapter, it will start picking up a little. I was hoping I'd have more of a result with reviews on this story, but I'm okay with it. At least it's getting read. OH! This story will be all BPOV unless I get enough people requesting to do an EPOV. I haven't written any in his POV, but it wouldn't be hard to write. So, request away if you want to hear from him._  
**

**_THANK YOU SO MUCH...LOOPYLOU992; I love your advice and input on your pre-reading. And I follow them willingly like a lost little puppy. I appreaciate the help, tremendously. I send a huge hug over the river for ya. AND a pint of your choice._**

**_Not much else to say...SM OWNS...NOT ME._**

**_Update:8/4/2012_**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 2**

BPOV

* * *

"Hello." I answered my phone already knowing who was calling. That's the wonderful luxuries of having caller I.D.

"_Hi, sweet girl. What's on the __agenda for the day?" _Anthony asked. I pulled on my sweat pants while I held the phone to my ear with my shoulder. I had just gotten out of the shower after doing my chores for the day.

"Whatever you want. I don't have any plans; my dad's out doing guy things with Billy and all of my chores are done. You wanna come pick me up? My cars in the shop getting an oil change," I explained. I moved the phone away from my ear for a second to pull my t-shirt over my head.

I could hear the smile in his voice, _"Sure, sweetheart. I'll be over in about fifteen_ _minutes."_

"Okay, see you shortly." We said our goodbyes and I hurriedly pulled on a pair of socks and my shoes before I skipped downstairs to wait for him.

It had been a few weeks since I found out about his way of life. We all went back to the way things were before I found out the truth. I made them all promise not to ever compel me. And so far, I think they've kept that promise, although, I wouldn't remember if they had or if they ever planned to.

Anthony let himself in when he arrived. I was back up in my room getting my phone when he walked in. Looking at him made me smile. He was so handsome; I still couldn't believe that he wanted to be with me. His body was frozen to his seventeen year old self. If Charlie only knew what his real age was, he'd have a coronary, but according to Anthony's license, he was seventeen.

He walked up behind me, and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck.

The first time I let Anthony feed from me was from my neck. It took me about a week to agree to let him do it, but after the neck incident, we had to find a more hidden spot. It was hard to explain to Charlie why I was wearing a scarf in the middle of the day.

Anthony took full advantage of our current location - my inner thigh. Apparently there's a main artery there, too. Which, I never knew until he suggested it.

He didn't drink from me often, but when he did, it turned me on so badly, and he knew it. He told me that he could smell my arousal as he fed.

We had also started venturing into oral sex. I wasn't quite ready yet to take it all the way. Anthony said he understood, and would wait until I was ready. I was still a virgin, and wanted to give myself to Anthony, but I was always arguing with myself to take it further. Something kept telling me _no_, so I listened.

Don't get me wrong, we'd been together for nearly five months, and I loved him more than anything, so I thought. We were just practicing patience with each other, and he was quite good at it.

Back to the here and now, Anthony picked me up, and plopped me down on the bed. I knew what was gonna happen next. It had been a little over a week since he last fed from me. I was uncomfortable with him feeding from me while I was on my period, considering the location. He didn't argue, and said it was my call.

That being said, I often wondered who he fed from before me. I always wanted to ask, but I was afraid to start an argument with him. Which, we normally never did. We had a few disagreements here and there, but they never escalated beyond anything we could control.

Slowly, Anthony started undressing me. I undressed him, too. Loving the sight of his completely naked body.

I had just finished sucking Anthony off when he pushed me back onto the bed. He didn't hesitate before pressing his face between my legs. I could feel my arousal seeping from me before he even touched me.

We always worked each other up into a frenzy before he latched onto my thigh. After so many times, over the last few weeks, I hardly felt his teeth pierce my skin. It felt like a small pinch.

Anthony started kneading my thighs as he lapped and sucked at my clit. He never used his fingers on me, always his tongue and lips. I wanted him to use his fingers on me, but he never did. When I questioned him about it, he'd change the subject. That was one of the disagreements we had. I wanted him to use his fingers on me, but my suggestions always got rebutted.

He always waited for me to start cumming before he would sink his teeth into me. The feeling was almost overwhelming and it intensified the feeling beyond belief.

I was sure he could sense it before it happened.

I was writhing from pleasure as he held me down, "Let go, sweet girl."

As my orgasm started, he sunk his teeth into me. I literally saw stars; my head was spinning, and my breathing was uncontrollable.

When he was done, he licked the wound, cleaning off the excess blood. He then climbed up; hovering over the top of me, "You like it like that, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah, I actually saw stars." He leaned down, capturing my lips with his. I could taste the slight lingering of blood on his tongue. He always seemed more sexual after he fed from me, but never pushed for more.

After a few minutes of our make out session, he pulled away, laying down next to me. I was still a little dazed from our climaxes.

"I want you to promise me something," he started, glancing over at me. He rolled to this side, pulling me close to him. We were looking into each others eyes.

"Anything." I was sure Anthony was it for me, and would move heaven and earth to keep him.

He placed a light kiss on my lips before he spoke, "When you know you're ready for more. . . actually what I mean is, when you're ready to make love, promise it'll be me. Promise you'll save yourself for me."

I was confused by why he was making me _promise. _ I had already told him that I felt like he would be my one and only, but I needed time.

"Of course," I responded, positive that I wouldn't give myself to another man.

He smiled and pulled me tighter against him. Both of us were still completely naked from our afternoon delight, and fell asleep wrapped around each other.

* * *

We normally saw each other before school, but never made a big spectacle about our relationship. We didn't flaunt it or make out like horny teenagers in front of the whole school. We didn't even hold hands, but we were seen together for the most part, at lunch, which was the only time we saw each other besides our Algebra class and before and after school.

I only had a couple of friends that really mattered. My friend Angela was the sweetest person you could ever meet, but we never hung out, outside of school. Then there's Heidi. She was just as well mannered and sweet, just like Angela. They knew of my relationship with Anthony, but we never talked about it. I wasn't really into all the gossip and talk of the school. I kept my business to myself and I was grateful that Angela and Heidi understood.

I was more of the loner type. Anthony was much the same, but most of the girls in school swooned over him and flocked him like he was a teen pop star. I felt lucky for the most part because I knew he wanted me. As far as anyone else in school, I really didn't remember anyone's name unless I had a project to do with them. Of course I knew all the popular kids' names, but that was a given. I knew who my real friends were and was happy with what attention I drew from them. I was never rude to anyone and if I was said_ hello_, to; I would say it back. I just never put myself out there. Call me a _troglodyte _and I'd completely agree with you.

So, the next day at school, Anthony and his brother weren't there. He had sent me a text telling me that they had some family stuff to take care of, and he would see me later. I never questioned him too often about what they did when they weren't in school. I didn't feel like it was my business and if they wanted me to know, they'd share it with me. Of course I wondered, and as much as I felt comfortable around Anthony and his family, I still had a little uneasiness about them. More or less...I was afraid to ask.

I was changing into my gym clothes when another girl spoke to me, unexpectedly, "What the hell. . ." she grabbed my shorts, pushing them down, looking at the bite mark on my inner thigh.

"Excuse me!" I said irritatedly, yanking my shorts up to cover my love bite.

"What the hell is that? It looks like someone bit you." Recognition dawned on her; her eyes going wide, "You let your boyfriend bite you?"

I shook my head, "That's none of your business," I stated firmly. It wasn't anyone's business but mine, and Anthony's.

The girl looked at me like I spit in her face, "Excuse the fuck outta me, you kinky bitch."

"Look, I don't even know who you are. Just mind your own business." She rolled her eyes at me and huffed. I knew she was a Senior, but didn't know her name and was only taking the gym glass to acquire the credit to graduate.

"Lauren, come on, let's go. I don't know why you're even talking to her in the first place. She's a_ Masen_ girlfriend, anyway." The girl who spoke, tried to pull, Lauren, I suppose that's her name, away from me. Her face turned a different color at the name of _'Masen'._

She sneered at me, "You're the girlfriend of a _Masen_?"

"Yeah, if you must know. Anthony's. I have been for the last six months," I said, reluctantly. I had no idea why I even shared the information with her. She was acting as if I wasn't good enough to be with a _Masen._

"Anthony, huh?" I nodded, "Well, you must not be all that good if I've never seen you two together. He use to be with me until about three months ago. He just told me he didn't wanna be with me anymore," she huffed and pointed at me, "Mark my words, if you don't put out, he'll dump your ass in a heartbeat," she painfully explained. I could see she really did look hurt. He must have dumped her when he committed himself to me; compelling her to forget everything else.

I wasn't sure what to say to her, "I'm sorry." She let out a halfhearted chuckle, "I didn't know Anthony had another girlfriend before me."

"Sorry?" Her attitude seemed to change, shaking her head, "You're sorry that he cheated on me with you? How long did you say you two have been together?" She was looking beyond pissed off. I was trying to stay back from her. I didn't want any further confrontation with her; especially a fight.

I lowered my head, "About six months," I answered quietly.

She propped both of her hands on her hips, stepping closer to me, "For three months he cheated on me, with you. What were you…a virgin when you got together?" I nodded. She didn't need to know that I still was, "Yeah, well, I was, too. He was my first." She growled and stomped her foot, "MOTHERFUCKER!" She screamed.

"I'm sorry," I quietly whispered to her, again, but the anger in her eyes went from pure hatred to murderous.

"YOU'RE SORRY!? He was fucking me, and cheated on me, with you, for those three months. What the hell do you have that I don't?" She chuckled dryly, turning away from me for a split second before turning back, "Oh, I know. You suck his dick, don't you?" I looked up at her through my eyelashes, and she shook her head at me, "See, I wouldn't, so that has to be the reason he chose you over me." A bitter chuckle escaped her, "Wow! You must really know how to suck a cock really good." She was being so hateful toward me; she had a right to be, but I was a scorned counterpart, also.

I honestly didn't know what else to say. I wanted to say sorry, again, but she would've gone ballistic on me and I didn't want that.

I decided to continue getting ready for gym class, ignoring everyone that was standing around watching what was going on.

After closing my locker, I started walking toward the gym, keeping to myself, until Lauren grabbed my arm, spinning me around, "You think I'm done with you?"

"I have nothing more to say to you." I turned away from her, and started walking, again, but before I knew what was happening, she spun me around, slapping me across the face.

Looking at her, I was stunned; holding my hand to my face. I couldn't believe that she slapped me. I had to be the better person and walk away. Yes, I was pissed, but I couldn't take it out on her.

Of course I was very hurt over what Anthony had done to the both of us. He was having sex, and feeding from her for the first three months of our relationship. There was no way he wasn't feeding from her. He cheated on me, too, but I wasn't blaming her. There was only one person to blame…Anthony.

She yelled after me, "You think this is over, bitch, you're wrong!"

I turned and walked back to where she stood, seething, "Look," I pointed at her, "Lauren is it? Well, we only have one person to blame here, and it's not each other, so get off your fuckin' high horse and realize, I was hurt, too; not just you."

Her face paled at my declaration. I wasn't holding it against her because Anthony's infidelity. He played us, both.

Nothing else was said between us, and went about our day; ignoring each other. Looks were thrown back and forth, but I wasn't about to get in trouble at school. That's something I already experienced and I refuse to head down that road, again.

Anthony was due for a huge tongue lashing, and not the kind he would be expecting.

I was beyond pissed, and hurt for the rest of the day. Approaching Anthony about all this was going to be the hardest part. I was afraid of how he would react. More importantly, would he compel me?

I made it home, foul mood intact, to find Anthony sitting on the hood of his precious Mustang.

He hopped off, making his way over to me, "Hey, sweet girl. I missed you, today," he declared; leaning down to kiss me, but I turned my head away.

"I can't say that I missed you," I retorted with a sneer.

He stepped back from me, his hands on my hips, "What's gotten into you?"

"You, that's what." I pushed his hands off me, and stepped away, "You mind telling me about Lauren?"

His jaw clenched tightly at the mention of her name, "C'mon, Anthony. What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" The sarcastic side of me, was rearing her ugly head.

His fist were clenching, open and closed. He looked pissed.

"Aren't you gonna explain to me why you played the both of us? Why Anthony? I've given my entire heart to you," I shook my head; dryly chuckling, "I've let you feed from me," I said through gritted teeth, "And now I find out that you were fucking her for three months of our relationship." I shook my head, again, "Why, Anthony? Is it because I suck your dick, and she didn't?"

He finally loosened up, and leaned against his car with his head down, "Bella, please." He sighed, "I just…I don't have any real explanation except, I fell in love with you. I felt this connection with you like I've never felt from anyone else before."

"And that's supposed to make it all better? You declare your love to me, and it's supposed to make things better? Anthony..." I sighed heavily, shaking my head, "You cheated on her with me. That doesn't make things right, Anthony. Not at all."

"I know and I'm sorry. I really am. You're the one I want; the one I love, and want to spend the rest of my days with." He moved from his car, stepping closer to me, "Please, sweet girl. I didn't mean any harm by doing what I did."

"But you did, Anthony. I don't know if I could forgive you," I said through my tears.

Through his pained expression he said, "I'm sorry to hear that, and I promise to make it up to you, Bella. I love you. I truly do," he said pleadingly.

I looked up at him, "I don't know if you're capable of love. Can vampires do that, Anthony? Truly and honestly love someone?"

He sighed heavily, like he was irritated with me, "Yes, Bella, we can. Look at Marcus and Claire. They love each other beyond belief. Please, Bella. I'll get down on my knees, and beg you, if I have to, just please give me another chance."

I honestly didn't know if I could ever give him a second chance. My heart was breaking so badly just thinking about what he did to me and Lauren.

My thoughts immediately went to Lauren, "You need to take care of Lauren. She's the one who figured everything out. She saw the bite mark on my thigh, and questioned me about it. It escalated from there. Didn't you compel her?"

"Of course I did. Only to forget about me feeding from her; that's all. We were seen together too much to make her completely forget everything." He sighed; dropping his chin to his chest, "I'll fix it, I promise."

"You better." I chuckled at him, "I don't want or need any more problems from her. She already slapped me once, and I refuse to let her get any closer. You know I could seriously hurt her, and I don't want to. That's why I walked away." He only nodded his head; agreeing with me.

My dad, having a career in the military, put me through years of self defense classes from the time I could walk, and speak complete sentences. I've only let my anger over power me one time, which left me with a juvenile record. That was when I lived with my mom in California. I've lived with my dad ever since I turned fourteen; right after I put a girl in the hospital for thinking that she could bully me.

"I promise, sweet girl. I'll make it right." He cleared his throat, "Can we..." He gestured toward my house.

I shook my head, "No, I need time. You need to give me space to figure things out. I can't just let things go, and pretend you didn't do this to me or Lauren. Neither one of us deserved this. I love you, Anthony. I really do, but you've hurt me, and I need time to figure out if I can let all that you've done, just pass." I hoped he'd honestly understand why I needed time.

"Bella, please," he pleaded, "Please. I know you're upset but..."

"Anthony,_ no_; I can't. Not right now. Please leave. I wanna be alone." I lied. I didn't wanna be alone. I wished I could let it all go, and just say it was in the past, but I couldn't have him here. He tore my heart out by his betrayal. He can't expect me to pretend it never happened.

Anthony turned, slowly walking to his car. He stopped, looking at me longingly, "Just remember I love you. Please never forget that."

"I love you, too, Anthony. Please just go." I didn't want to break down in front of him, but I couldn't help the tears that were already falling, "Just go, please."

Anthony slowly pulled away from my house, and my heart sank even more. _How was I_ _suppose to get over this?_

That night, I cried myself to sleep. My dad left me alone because he knew something was wrong. I couldn't love my father more for giving me the space I needed.

The next day was Friday, and I went to school like a normal sixteen year old Sophomore in high school, would do. The normal everyday _'hellos' _and _'how are yous', _passed along as I walked through the hallways, but the one thing that was completely out of character, was Lauren. She waved, and said _'hello'_, like we'd been best-friends for years.

That only meant, Anthony paid her a visit, and thinking about what he did to her, to make her forget, made my heart sink.

I entered my advanced algebra class, and I didn't see Anthony, like I normally did, when I walked from my locker. He wasn't in class, either. He never showed up. The same for the rest of the day. I never saw him once or Emmett, but I saw Jane.

I was reluctant about approaching her because we never socialized during school, but I had to know if she knew why Anthony and Emmett weren't there. Anthony would usually send me a text to tell me why he wouldn't be there, but I guess I lost that right when I asked him to give me time, so the text never came.

Glancing around to see if anyone was watching, I approached her, "Hey, do you know why they guys aren't here, today?"

She looked at me quizzically, "Who're you talking about?"

"You know who I'm talking about. Emmett and Anthony," I answered, surprise in my voice, that she was acting like she didn't know who I was referring to.

Her face contorted; looking at me like I was insane, "I don't know anyone by those names," Jane answered back.

"What? Emmett's your boyfriend. How can you not know who he is? And Anthony's his brother." My eyebrows were pinched together, looking at her in confusion.

"I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't had a boyfriend since last year." Then it dawned on me. She'd been compelled not to remember any of them, at all. I couldn't figure out why they would do that.

I let out a strained chuckle, "I'm sorry. I just assumed. . ." I had to get away from her, "...excuse me." I walked away, feeling completely confused, so I made the decision to go to their house after school to see what was going on.

The drive over was daunting. My mind filled with tons of scenarios as to why they would do that to her. There had be a reason. I knew people saw Jane and Emmett together. Maybe she was lying and pissed because he broke up with her or something.

When I pulled into the driveway, there wasn't any cars around. I knew they usually parked their cars outside, allowing Marcus and Claire to use the garage for their cars.

I got out of my car, running up the porch, ringing the doorbell. No one answered after a few minutes.

Walking along the porch, I looked inside the windows, that I passed. I noticed the house was completely empty. There wasn't anything in the house. No curtains. . .nothing. They were gone.

They had moved away without saying good-bye. _Why would they do that? _ Especially Marcus and Claire. It wasn't like them to do something like that. Then it dawned on me. . .Jane. _She didn't know them, but why completely compel her, but not me?_

My heart started breaking even more. It sunk to the pit of my stomach, causing me to rush to the side of the porch and throw up.

I collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

I don't know how long I stayed there. I had lost all knowledge of time until I heard a car pull up.

"Oh, God, baby girl." I realized it was my dad. He must have noticed I never made it home when I didn't call like I usually did if I was going to be late.

My dad lifted me, carrying me to his police cruiser. His partner took the keys to my car, that were clutched tightly in my hand, "We'll drop her car at my house then we're heading to the hospital."

I had no clue of my surroundings until I woke up in a hospital bed.

"Oh, good, you're awake. You had us all scared out of our wits, young lady," my dad expressed as he sat down on the bed next to me.

"Why am I here?"

"You collapsed. The doctor thinks it's from shock. You've been out for two days," he explained.

I looked at him, confoundedly, "Two days?"

He nodded, grasping my hand in his, "What happened, honey?"

I started crying, and couldn't help the loud sobs that escaped me. The memories of what happened, came flooding back into my mind, "They left, dad; all of them. They left, and didn't even say good-bye." I cried harder, unable to catch my breath.

My dad pulled me into a tight hug, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't know. Did something happen between you and Anthony?"

"I broke up with him. I told him I needed time apart." My stomach was rolling, "He cheated on me, dad. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." He squeezed me tighter, "It'll be okay. . . I promise." He rubbed his hand up and down my back, soothingly.

He held me until I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

**Taaaa-daaaa...and there we have chapter two. Let me know what you think, PLEASE. I don't wanna beg, but I will if I have to. **

**I normally rec stories out to be read, but I'm drawing a blank. I just updated my other story and used up what I've been reading. I'll have to constitute a list of past stories that I've read and start from there, again.**

**Thanks again, for reading. Off to get the next chapter ready.**

**~Stephanie~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here ya go. Chapter 3. Thanks loads to Looylou992 for your great pre-reading skills and giving me your input.**

**I'm loving the response I'm getting. Keep them coming. I'm being somewhat a little sneaky with the main characters.**

**Enjoy!**

**Update 8/5/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 3**

**BPOV**

* * *

The next three months flew by unnoticed. I worked on auto pilot, mostly. I did what I needed to do, and stuck to myself like I always did. Not once, did I receive a text or phone call from Anthony.

I broke down, and called him a few times, but I always got the same recording telling me that the number had been disconnected.

It was the same with Marcus, Claire's and Emmett's.

I gave up trying. If they didn't wanna be contacted, I would have to deal with it.

School came to an end, and I would be visiting my mom in Florida. There wasn't anything in Forks for me to stay for, except for my dad. Depending on how the summer turned out, I would be staying, permanently. A fresh start in my life, was something I definitely needed.

My dad drove me to the airport, a week after school let out. I was a little excited to be seeing my mom. I hadn't seen her since the summer before. For my visit last summer, we ended up taking a vacation to New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston. It was more or less an East Coast tour. I loved it.

Arriving in the, always sunny, state of Florida, seemed to wake me up quite a bit. When I stepped off the plane, I felt an ease wash over me. And the weather was like a smack in the face. It was completely different after living in Forks for so long. Going from being in a dreary, cloudy town, to somewhere that was always sunny. But being here, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I actually smiled for the first time in months.

My mom happily greeted me with her fiance, Phil. They were getting married sometime during the summer, and I was her maid of honor. I'd just have to make sure to keep a smile on my face to appease her.

"Hi, sweetheart." She grabbed me into a really tight hug, "How was your flight?"

"As good as a flight could be, I suppose," I responded. She draped her arm over my shoulders as we walked to the baggage claim.

An hour later, we pulled up to this huge estate, along the beach. They had just purchased it a few months before. It was definitely like something I had never seen with my own eyes.

When my mom showed me to my room, I gasped. It was unbelievable.

I had my own huge bathroom and a balcony.

"You like it?" Mom smiled a huge toothy-grin at me.

"Mom, this…this is amazing. It's more than I need, but I love it," I replied, happily.

"We can decorate it anyway you'd like. Paint, wallpaper, whatever you want. It's yours sweetie." She hugged me tightly, kissing the side of my head.

"Thank you. It's really great," I expressed, hugging her back.

She led me over to the bed, sitting down, pulling me with her, "Can we talk?"

"Sure. Anything serious?" I wasn't sure what there was to talk about, but she'd always been there for me when I needed her.

"No, just…I just wanna make sure you're okay. I know what Anthony did to you was completely heartbreaking, but sweetheart, you're still young, and have a whole life ahead of you." She sighed and wrapped her arm around my shoulders, "You never know, you may meet someone really special while you're here."

"I don't know, mom. It's been months since Anthony walked outta my life. I've sorta sworn off boys. I'm just…I don't know, afraid, I guess." I laid my head down on her shoulder.

She sighed and cupped my cheek, "Don't give up hope sweetie. I know you still have some. It's just taking time to find it within you." She moved back from me, clapping her hands together, "Why don't we get changed, and head down to the beach for a little while before dinner? Catch some sun?" She suggested.

Going to the beach did sound relaxing, and I was all for it, but then I realized something, "Mom, you have a pool, why go down to the beach?"

"You'll see, sweetie." She stood up from the bed, "C'mon, just you and me. Phil's gonna run to the store, and pick some stuff up for dinner. Was there anything in particular that you wanted?"

I thought for a few seconds, "Sure, some vitamin waters. That's all I drink, these days. Dragonfruit or mix them up; I like them all."

"Okay, I'm sure he could handle that. See you downstairs in a few." She leaned down and kissed my forehead, then left the room.

As I was changing, I kept thinking about how good it would be for me to have a complete change in my life. A new school away from Lauren, who would be a constant reminder of Anthony. My room where we spent hours upon hours, with each other. It would remind me of all the times we would lay and touch each other and make each other feel good. It would be too much to deal with. The memories would haunt me, and I didn't want that anymore. I could leave all that behind. I could visit my dad during the summer, and not have to worry about ever seeing any of my old class mates.

I met my mom downstairs, showing me around a little more before she grabbed her huge beach bag, and headed out to the beach.

It was mid-day, and the sun was still set high in the sky. It was very inviting.

I turned my face toward the sky, and took a huge, deep breath. The humidity would take a bit to get used to, but I felt that I could adapt, easily.

Mom led us down close to the shore line. There wasn't a whole lot of people in the area, we were in. These were more set up as private beaches, but still very public.

I felt a sense of peace wash over me, again, as I glanced out over the ocean. I needed this...I really did.

We were laying out the huge beach towels when my mom looked up at me, and smiled. I couldn't help but smile back, but her smile faltered. I followed her line of sight. It was on the scar on my inner thigh, "Isabella Marie! What in the world …?"

I glanced down and looked at my scar, "Oh, that. It's nothing; clumsy me." I needed to come up with something believable, "I fell in gym class, and landed, spread eagle on the bleachers. There was a jagged edge, and unfortunate for me, I landed on it."

"Wow. Did you need stitches? That looks like it was pretty bad to leave a scar like that." Honestly, looking at the scar up close, it didn't look like a bite mark, anymore. There was a matching scar on my other thigh, but I wasn't about to volunteer that information to my mom.

"No, no stitches. Just a couple of band-aids. The nurse at school, cleaned it real good, and put some Neosporin on it. I was walking kinda funny for a couple of days." And that part was true. After the first time Anthony fed from me, I didn't walk very comfortably, and Anthony teased me about it, relentlessly. I smiled internally, remembering it.

My mom chuckled, "You're lucky you didn't land on your hoo-ha."

"Hoo-ha, mom?"

"What? That's what it is isn't it? Well, a nickname for it, anyway," she shrugged. I giggled at her mannerism.

I got settled, and lathered on some sun screen. Living in Washington for so long, left me completely white and pasty. I wasn't about to endure a sunburn my first trip out to the beach.

After a few hours, we headed back to the house. My mom was right, being on the beach was serene, and captivating.

Phil grilled some burgers, chicken and veggies, for us. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started piling the food on my plate. I hadn't eaten this much food in months. Not since before…I stopped that train of thought before it started. _New s__tart,_ _Bella. Remember? _I chastised myself internally.

My days in Florida started creeping along, and turning into weeks.

I would take long walks along the beach just listening to my iPod. Other days, I was writing in my journal or reading. I had even ventured as far as the nearby boardwalk.

I had been in Florida for a month, already. School was gonna be starting soon, and I needed to make a decision about where I wanted to be, but I already knew in my heart, Florida was where I needed to be.

My next step was to let my dad know. He would ship the rest of my clothes, and my car, to me.

Phil volunteered to fly up, and drive my car back because he had some time off, right now. He said it would be cheaper than shipping it on a car carrier. I didn't disagree. At least I knew Phil would take care of my car. I wasn't so sure about it being on a car carrier.

It was the end of June, and my mom and Phil were getting married in two weeks. Phil would be leaving seven days before the wedding. He wasn't going to rush getting back, and calculated that he would make it home two days before the big day.

I had never driven cross country before, but I could imagine only one person driving from Washington to Florida, would take quite a while.

I didn't have a fancy car; one of the newest Camero's. Navy blue and I loved it. It was a gift, from all three parents, for my sixteenth birthday. It was the talk of the school when I first got it. Everyone thought I was a spoiled rich kid, but I'm not, and ignored everything that was being said.

I've stayed out of trouble, and proved that I could. I feel that I've turned my life around since I was fourteen and put that girl in the hospital. That was the only time I had gotten in trouble, but it was a bit of an eye opener, for me. I've never acted like I was better than anyone else or even given any kind of indication that all I thought about…was money. I never wanted to let my parents down anymore then I already had.

Tomorrow, Phil would be arriving back with my car. I was pretty excited to finally have it, and to know that Phil made it back safe, and ready for the wedding.

My dad was also flying in for the wedding. I guess I was one of those lucky kids that have parents who were better off as friends than married, but they don't regret that they tried because they got me out of it. They were married really young and lasted for two years before they decided to divorce.

Today was the final fitting for my moms dress, along with mine. I was just glad that I wouldn't be showing so much skin. At least mom respected that part of my request.

It was a sundress, but the shoulder straps were wide enough, and didn't show so much cleavage. For a girl my size, a C cup was more than enough. I was surprised that I didn't topple over half the time. I inherited them from my mother.

After our fitting, we went to have lunch at a small deli. I was starving from all the running around that we had been doing.

We were sitting, enjoying our sandwiches when a petite girl, around my age, approached us, "Hi, Ms. Swan."

"Hi, Alice. We're not in school anymore; you know it's Renee, so how are you?"

"I'm good. Glad that summer school is over. No offense," she replied.

Mom smiled, widely, "None taken, sweetie. I enjoyed teaching you." Mom gasped, "Oh, shoot. Where's my manners? Alice, this is my daughter, Isabella. You'll get to see her this school year. She just moved here from Washington."

Alice stepped forward, extending her hand to me, "Hi! It's great to meet you. Your mom talked so much about you during school or when ever her and Phil came over to our house."

"I'm afraid to ask." I smiled up at her, "It's great to meet you, too."

"So, Renee, you getting cold feet, yet?"

"Oh, heck no. Phil might, though. You might have to make sure your dad drags him to the altar," suggested my mom.

"I'm positive dad will make sure he's there." She glanced over at me, "Phil and my dad are best-friends, and my older brother Evan is Phil's teammate," Alice explained.

It seemed that I was so out of the loop with everything. I knew Phil had a best-friend named Carlisle, but I didn't know he had any kids.

"You're gonna be there, right? I know I spoke with your mom, and she said all of you were coming," mom inquired, raising her eyebrows, in question.

Alice giggled, "I wouldn't miss it. Anthony is even taking a day off from practice, to come."

My heart dropped.

She had a brother named Anthony, too?

"Anthony works himself too hard. He already knows he has a secure spot on the team." Mom smiled and patted the seat next to her, "Why don't you join us?"

"Let me order, and I'll be right back," Alice said excitedly.

I leaned across the table to whisper to my mom, "She has a brother named Anthony?"

Moms hand flew to her mouth, "Oh, gosh, sweetie. I'm sorry; I didn't even think. It never dawned on me what that name meant to you."

"It's fine. It's a pretty common name, I suppose." I huffed, leaning back in my chair.

Alice came back a few minutes later, sitting down, "So, Isabella, are you gonna be a Junior, this year?"

"Yes. It's gonna be weird starting a new school after so long," I replied.

Alice giggled, "You'll be fine. Stick with me, and I'll show you the ropes. My brother, Anthony, will be a Senior, and plays on the varsity baseball team, as the pitcher. I guess it runs in the family, except for me, of course."

I giggled, too, "Yeah, I don't think I can picture you playing baseball."

"Alice actually has a good batting average," chimed in my mom.

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh, really? So, you do play?" I asked, Alice.

"Just for fun. Mostly at our family reunions or any other family functions. My mom does a lot of charity work, and we have baseball games to raise money," she explained.

"Wow, I'm impressed," I smiled at her.

Alice, playfully smacked her hand down on the table, "Hey, maybe you can play at our next event. That would be great."

"Oh, no, no, no. This girl," I pointed to myself, "stays away from flying objects. I have a bulls-eye painted on my chest for clumsiness." I waved my hand, signaling that I'm definitely not all for it.

"Awwee…come on. How do you know that you won't be good unless you try? It's so much fun," Alice pleaded.

I groaned. I just met Alice, and I already wanted to smother her, "Maybe."

Alice clapped while mom smiled. I knew she was happy that I was finally opening up some, and putting myself out there.

We finished lunch, and parted ways with Alice. I promised to hang out with her during the reception. Mom and Phil were only having a small table for two set up just for the bride and groom, leaving the wedding party to sit where they wanted. There wasn't any assigned seating like they would have at a huge elaborate wedding. It was more carefree and everyone was asked to dress casual.

Moms dress wasn't anything extravagant. It was like a sundress also, but a light cream color. I thought it was beautiful, and perfect for her.

The men weren't wearing tuxedos, and if Phil could get away with it, he would wear Bermuda shorts, and a Hawaiian shirt. Mom drew the line at that, agreeing for the men to wear dress slacks, and a nice button down dress shirt. There wasn't any particular color, either. Mom just wanted to marry Phil, and celebrate it. I was much like her in that way; not all about extravagance. Casual was more my forte.

Phil arrived home the next day around ten in the morning. I was pretty excited to have my car here, and more of my belongings. All of my pictures and my camera. I missed my camera so much. I loved taking pictures of anything that caught my attention. So far, photography was what I wanted to go to college for. Maybe in film, also. I loved anything that had to do with capturing scenes.

"Here's your keys." Phil held his hand out, but when I went to grab them, he snatched his hand back and laughed.

"Hey!"

"You can have them once you explain to me what's up with that stuff you call music, you listen to." He shivered like he was completely disgusted.

"There's nothing wrong with my music. I happen to love Adele. Actually, I love all music; you just didn't look good enough for the oldies. I think I had some Frank Sinatra in there somewhere," I joked with him. I then poked him in the stomach with my finger, causing him to drop his hand to try and block my hand from trying to tickle him. I took my chance, grabbed my keys, and ran.

"Oh, you little shit!" Phil yelled out to me as I ran to the front door and out to my car. It was dirty, but that was okay. It would give me something to do before dinner.

Tomorrow night would be the rehearsal dinner. We were all meeting at some expensive restaurant. My mom and Phil rented out the banquet room, making sure to have enough room to accommodate everyone that was attending the dinner.

An hour later, I was finally done lugging up all the stuff from my car. I didn't realize I had so much stuff.

I had just finished placing all my books on my shelves when there was a knock on my door, "Come in."

Alice came walking in, "Hey."

"I didn't hear the doorbell," I said, walking over and re-closing my bedroom door.

"Oh, Phil was walking out as I came up the sidewalk. I was out taking a walk and stopped by to be nosy," she explained and I found it funny that she would actually admit that she wanted to be nosy.

I shook my head, "You were taking a walk? Do you live close by or something?"

"You could say that. We live about a mile away. I was actually walking along the beach. I love it out there. It's so freeing," she explained, seeming to space off thinking of the beach. I quirked an eyebrow at her, trying to figure her out.

I couldn't help but agree with her about the beach, "Yeah, it is. I didn't pay much attention to it as a kid."

"You use to come here as a kid?" she asked, walking over, sitting down in the chair in the corner of the room.

"No. We use to live in California up until I was fourteen. I lived with my dad after my mom met Phil and moved here a couple of years ago. I never paid much attention to the beach there. I was more or less a loner, I guess you could say," I explained, looking away, not wanting to get too much into my history. Maybe in due time, I could open up and tell Alice about my past. Minus Anthony being a vampire, though. That wasn't my story to tell, only the relationship I had with him. My heart was still broken, somewhat, over him leaving, but I was slowly getting over it.

Alice smiled, "Well, now you can live it up. You live right on the beach. We have plenty of time before school starts." She gasped, "Hey, maybe we can carpool together. Anthony always leaves early, so he can practice. That boys arm is gonna fall off one of these days, as much as he practices, I swear." She shook her head.

"Do you have your own car?"

"Yeah, not as cool as yours, though. I got it for my sixteenth birthday last year. It's just a plain ole Audi," she frowned, describing her car.

"Hey, that's cool. I got my car for my sixteenth birthday, too, and an Audi? Audi's are cool, unless you have an R8- V10, then you're bad-ass," I smiled, stepping over, placing one of my photo albums on my book shelf.

Alice hopped up from her seat and walked over to me, "No, definitely not an R8- V10…A Quattro A6." She glanced over the photo albums on the shelf, "Hey, you mind if I look at one of those?" She pointed to the self with the albums.

"Sure," I replied, moving out of the way so that she could choose one.

She grabbed the whole stack of six albums and moved over to my bed. She made herself comfortable, laying across my bed on her stomach. She grabbed the smallest album first, "Are these in any order?"

"No. I think it's more interesting to space them all out," I explained while I climbed up on the bed, laying beside her. I thought that maybe I would give it a shot and act like the teenager I am.

She flipped the cover open, glancing through the pictures of nature that I had taken. I loved taking small hikes in the woods behind my dad's house. I had zoomed in pictures of ants and the strangest bugs that I could find.

We joked around about some of the candid pictures that I had taken of my dad. He never had a clue I was snapping them. Here and there, my mom would pop up.

The next album contained pictures of the few friends that I had, back in Forks. The waitress at the diner, where my dad and I ate a lot, was in there, also.

But, what caught me off guard was when she came across a picture of Anthony and Emmett. Alice gasp, "Who're they?"

"Well," I pointed to Anthony, "That's my ex-boyfriend, Anthony." She jerked her head toward me, "I know. Ironic, huh? Same name as your brother. I mentioned that to my mom the other day, at lunch."

Alice's jaw dropped open as she gaped at the picture of the three of us. I couldn't figure out what she was so fascinated with, about the picture.

"Who's the other guy?"

"Emmett, Anthony's brother. He had a girlfriend, Jane, at the time, but she wasn't there for the picture." I just wanted to flip the page and get that picture outta my sight. I had forgotten that I even had it.

"Hmm…do you mind if I ask why you two broke up?" She was still looking at the picture as she asked me.

"Um..." I sat up, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, "I um..." My mind was wanting to draw a blank, because all I wanted to do was forget what happened. I knew it was about to come crashing down on me.

"I'm sorry. I've never really talked about what happened." Tears started falling. I was contemplating whether or not I should open up to her. She seemed like she could be a great friend to me, but I was being overly cautious.

Alice sat up, facing me. She placed one hand on my wrist, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything, but I want you to know that you can talk to me. I won't judge."

I looked up at her. I could see un-shed tears in her eyes and it made me wonder if she had been hurt before.

"I think I can tell you. It's just so hard." More tears fell and I wiped them away with the back of my hand, "My mom and dad only know the basics about what happened." I paused for a few seconds. Alice was making me feel like I could tell her anything even though, I just met her, so I started telling her, "I'll start at the beginning if you want?"

"It's up to you, Isabella," she replied.

"You can call me Bella. I prefer it, really," I sniffed.

"Okay, Bella. I'd like to know about this Anthony." I heard her mumble something about her brother and Anthony having more than just their names in common. I didn't hear her clearly.

"Huh?"

She shook her head, "Oh, nothing, sorry. Go ahead. I'm here and all ears."

"Well, I met Edward Anthony Masen, on the first day of school. I was a Sophomore, of course and he was a Senior. I bumped into him in the lunch line and we instantly clicked. We became a couple within a couple of weeks. We were almost inseparable." I smiled, pulling the memories of us when we first got together, into my head, "He made me so happy. I loved his family; his brother was so funny at times. Him and Emmett are actually twins." I lied of course. I couldn't tell her the truth.

Alice glanced down at the picture again, "Their both really cute."

"Yeah, yeah. I think they both knew that, all too well. Anyway..." I said slowly, "After a few months of being together, things changed a little. Anthony, which he preferred to be called. He said Edward was an old man's name. Well, he was around me all the time and we started to you know…move things to the next level. I felt so comfortable with him and we told each other the _'I love yous'. _He took me on a few dates. Not many and my dad actually liked him. Anthony proved that he was a true gentleman. He never pushed to have sex with me, but we did do other stuff, though. He asked me to save myself for him and I promised." I sighed, "I really did feel like he was the one. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me."

Alice stretched out on the bed, again, propping her head up on her hand, "So, did you ever have sex with him?"

"No. I was too scared. I sorta still am, but I've sworn off boys, so I'm not worried about it," I replied, stretching out beside her, but I laid on my stomach, leaning up on my elbows.

Alice giggled, "I'm sure you'll change your mind."

I shook my head, "Anyway, we'd been together about six months and one day I was changing my clothes for gym class when some girl, whom I had no idea what her name was. I had only seen her around school. I wasn't really sociable with too many people at school, but anyway…she saw the hickey that Anthony put on my inner thigh the day before." I sighed, rubbing my hands across my face. I was dreading the next part of the story.

"She said - _"Oh my God, I can't believe you let your boyfriend do that to you,"_ I said in a high pitched girly voice to try and mock Lauren's.

I shook my head, remembering the look on Lauren's face, "I told her to mind her own business, but she called me a kinky bitch. Her friends had been standing there watching and listening to everything, until one of her friends asked her why she was even bothering talking to me because I was one of the _Masens' _girlfriend. After that, she seemed really interested in what I had to say especially when she asked me which _Masen _brother." I cleared my throat, "I told her Anthony, and she went off on me and told me how she had been with Anthony and they had been together for three months. She said that one day he told her that he didn't want to be with her anymore." I had to stop for a minute to gather my bearings.

"So, did you know that he had another girlfriend before you?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly before me," I stated. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes, again.

"What?!"

"Yeah…he was with her for the first three months we were together. I honestly didn't have any clue that he was messing around," I explained.

"I can't believe he cheated on you," she whispered.

"Yeah, I know. I was devastated."

"Oh, hon. I'm sure you were. Any girl in love would be," she said, soothingly.

"I found out he'd been having sex with her."

"Oh, God, that's worse. What happened after that?" I knew she was more curious now as to what happened. I had that feeling in the pit of my stomach that was going to open me up and swallow me whole.

I deeply sighed, "Anthony wasn't at school that day, but he was waiting for me when I got home," I said. A small flutter of hurt washed over me, remembering that day.

"So, he didn't have any idea what happened?"

I shook my head, "No, and I didn't waste any time cutting to the chase. When I asked him about the girl, he knew he'd been busted. He kept apologizing profusely, saying that he didn't mean any harm and that I was the one he loved. He even asked for a second chance, but I knew I couldn't just go back to the way things were. I mean, for fucks sakes, I was willing to give him my virginity and I thought I was so in love with him, but when I asked him to give me time, he started telling me how much he loved me and asked for a second chance, again. I couldn't, though, of course, but I can give him credit for trying."

"Did he give you time?"

I chuckled, dryly, "Yeah, he gave me plenty of time," I replied.

She looked at me, puzzled, "Why'd you say it like that?"

"He left and never came back," I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand.

"Left?" she asked quizzically.

"Yeah…sometime during the night, they packed up their whole house and moved without even telling anyone." My tears were more prominent, now, and falling uncontrollably. Alice rubbed her hand up and down my arm to try and comfort me.

She pushed my hair behind my ear, "That's the chicken shit way out, so how'd you find out?"

"The hard way. I showed up over at his house after school. I had asked a couple of people at school if they knew why he and his brother weren't there, but no one knew. I wanted to talk to Anthony some more. I had the night before to think about things and I decided for him and I to take a break for a while."

Alice nodded her head, "That's understandable."

"Well, my dad found me hours later and I ended up in the hospital. I had gone into shock and woke up two days later." I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to will the tears to stop.

Alice was looking at me like she was studying me, "Mind if I ask how long ago this happened?"

"It's been a little over four months," I replied.

She took in a deep breath, "Wow. This is all still fresh."

"Yeah…I'm doin' better. I'll have to admit, though, when you said your brother's name's Anthony, I almost flipped. I knew it couldn't be him. Anthony's last name is_ Masen_." I shook my head, "Shit, I don't even know your last name. Did you tell me? I'm sorry."

"No, that's fine. Our last name is Cullen and my brothers middle name is Edward and I assure you, he isn't adopted. Kinda funny and ironic at the same time that their names are so similar. Just flipped around." She chuckled, "Just too weird."

She looked down at the picture one last time before closing the album, "I can say this, they do have more than just their names in common, that's for sure."

"What do you mean?"

She sat up and waved her hands at me, "Oh, no. That's something you'll have to find out on your own. Oh and believe me, you'll be able to notice as soon as you meet him."

"Oh, come on!"

"Nope. Now you c'mon, lets go down by the beach unless there was something else you wanted..." She was cut off by her cell phone ringing. She pulled it out and checked her caller ID, "Ugh, it's my brother, sorry." She pressed the button to answer, "Hello."

"I'm down the road at Ms. Swan's house…because I'm hanging out with her daughter. Yes, Anthony. Gosh, why do you have to be such a butt?…Why do you wanna know? …Fine, her name's Bella…Yes, she's Renees' maid of honor. Why do you care anyway?…Fine, tell mom I'll be home in a little while. Bella and I are talking, right now and might do something afterward." She snapped her phone shut and stuffed it back in her pocket.

"Sorry, he's so nosy, sometimes." I giggled because it was funny hearing her call her brother nosy when in fact, it was so easy for her to claim to be nosy herself when she first got here.

"That's fine. Do you need to go?"

"No. Are you okay? We can talk some more if you'd like," she suggested, but I shook my head. I was done talking about my past. For now, anyway.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. Let me know what you think. I'm trying to get caught up to where I've got everything typed up. Then I'll be able to have more of a posting schedule of once or twice a week. Please stick with me. The twisty stuff is coming. I promise.**

**Don't forget to sign in when you leave a review. I may not be able to reply if you don't.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**~Stephanie~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4. A little more info for ya. I'm loving some of the confusion.**

**THANK YOU...Loopylou992 for pre-reading and your input.**

**Update: 8/6/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 4**

**BPOV**

* * *

My day with Alice was pretty eventful. After her phone call with her brother, she helped me finish unpacking. When we came to a dead end at keeping busy, I remembered that my car needed to be washed, "Let's go wash my car."

The look on her face was priceless. She didn't seem too happy about washing my car until we got in and took off down the road toward a car wash. She actually thought we were about to pull out the water hose and do it ourselves.

I just laughed at her.

That night, while I laid in bed, I kept thinking about Alice's cryptic clues about her brother. I hadn't realized that I laughed and smiled so much in my entire life, in one day with her. I could see Alice and I becoming really close. A friend like her was something that I needed.

I can admit, I feel like there's been a weight lifted from my shoulders. I haven't been able to talk to anyone about the stuff that happened between me and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. My parents only knew the basics. Just that he cheated on me and left without even telling me to kiss his ass good-bye.

The next day passed rather quickly. Alice came by, again, and we hung out by the pool for a couple of hours before we all left for one last rehearsal.

There wasn't anything traditional about mom and Phil's wedding.

That made me happy because I really wasn't up to throwing my mom a bachelorette party.

It was now two hours before the wedding. I was a little nervous. I think I was feeling the effects from both mom and Phil, although, they'd both deny that they were nervous.

My thoughts went back to the day before. Alice had promised that I would be meeting her family, which included both of her brothers. That made my nervousness spike just a tad. I tried to brush it off, but apparently, I was see through, "Sweetie, what's wrong with you?" Mom asked from where she was sitting at her make-up vanity, "You seem so nervous and I'm the one getting married."

"You wanna know the truth?"

"Of course I do. Maybe I can help with whatever it is," she offered, turning to look directly at me.

I sighed and plopped down in the chair next to her, "I'm nervous about meeting Alice's brothers."

"Why? Anthony and Evan are great guys. And just because Anthony has the same name as your ex, doesn't mean he'll be just like him," she expressed. My mom was only trying to make my nervousness go away, but it wasn't working. I loved her all the same.

"That's not all, though. Alice said they had a lot more in common than just their names," I explained, feeling butterflies start their tirade on my stomach by doing the cha-cha slide.

"And how does Alice know this?" Mom looked at me, raising her eyebrows.

"She saw a picture I have of us," I stated, glancing down at the floor. I felt a little guilty because she had never seen a picture of Anthony and didn't know what he looked like.

She placed her hand over mine, "Oh, well, maybe it won't be anything bad."

"Let's hope."

It was ten minutes before show time and my heart was pounding. I could hear every thump, as it beat frantically in my chest..

I had to take deep breaths to keep myself under control. I had to do this right for mom and Phil.

My dad approached me before he took his seat up front, "You doin' okay, kiddo?"

I wrapped my arms around him. It calmed me some, "Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm really happy for the both of them; they deserve it all."

"That's not what I'm concerned about," he said as he kissed the side of my head.

I pulled back, looking up at him. He was a tall man. Around six foot–two. Definitely towering over my five foot–five frame.

Gazing at him, I would say he was a very handsome man. Dark hair and he kept a goatee. His skin was a light olive color from his Italian heritage.

I plastered on a light smile, "What do you mean?"

"Your mom told me about Alice's brother and that's why you're really nervous," he said, rubbing his hands up and down my arms.

"Yeah, it's just all so surreal. I know it's coincidence, but it still affects me. I mean, it's just his name, right? I'm just being stupid over a common name."

"Your mom also said it's more, but Alice won't tell you." I knew he was concerned for me and how my reaction would be to her brother. I only wished Alice wouldn't be so cryptic about it.

I huffed, "Gotta love Alice. I've only known her a few days, but I'm gonna strangle her."

Dad smiled, hugging me, again, "You'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

A couple of minutes later, my mom stepped around the corner, declaring it was time. She hugged my dad and shoo'd him away.

We made our way down to the beach where a couple of tents were set up and everyone was waiting. There wasn't a whole lot of people. Most of Phil's teammates and some of my moms co-workers. It was perfect for them.

I glanced around, smiling at everyone as I made my way down the aisle. I noticed Alice's mom sitting next to another man which I knew wasn't Carlisle, but wondered if he could be Anthony. I knew Alice had two brothers and having never met any of Phil's teammates, I was left wondering.

I made it to the end of the aisle without falling. If I were wearing shoes, I would've probably face planted. All of us were barefoot. One of the main things I loved about this wedding; it was so happy-go-lucky.

Mom made it to the end of the aisle and before I knew it, the wedding was over. They only had simple vows. We still had the reception to endure.

I stood by my parents and Phil, as people congratulated them and introduced me. Alice was next in line. She hugged both my mom and Phil, "I'm so happy for you, two. No more Ms. Swan in school; Mrs. Dwyer, now," Alice excitedly said. It was gonna be so weird attending the same school that my mom was a teacher at. She taught ninth grade Language Arts.

Alice hugged me next, "Do you have to stay here or can you hang out, now?"

I looked at mom and Phil. They said it was okay to go, "Thank you; we'll be around."

"Don't take off, too far. We'll be cutting the cake soon," mom said to my retreating form. I waved back to let her know that I heard what she said.

Alice and I walked over to where all the food was and picked a few things out. They weren't serving anything fancy. Just a bunch of small sandwiches and side dishes. They also had a few different kinds of dessert just in case no one wanted cake.

I kept glancing around, not really looking for anything in particular, but honestly, I was.

I was looking for Alice's brother, although I had no clue what he looked like. I was trying not to be too obvious.

"Okay, so, school starts in three weeks, have you done all of your school shopping, yet?" I brought my attention back to Alice.

"Alice, you saw my closet. Does it look like I need anymore clothes?" I retorted, grimacing.

She huffed at me, "Bella, you can't wear the same clothes as last year. That's like a sin. We can go while your mom and Phil are on their honeymoon."

"I'll go with, but I honestly don't think I need anything. Maybe a new backpack and some shoes," I said, trying to make my point. I really did have more clothes then I needed. I could probably donate half of them and still have more than enough.

"Fine, but you know…" she screeched and clapped her hands, "He's here. You have to meet him."

I looked at her quizzically, "Who, Alice?"

"My brother, silly. He couldn't come to the ceremony. Well, he could, but he said he'd rather just come to the reception. He's a dork. C'mon, I'll introduce you to both of my brothers," she replied. I wasn't so nervous around her dad and mom. I had met Carlisle during a visit at our house when they were deciding what the men should wear and then met Esme formally the night before at the rehearsal dinner.

I could've passed out at that moment.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me, nearly kicking and screaming, across the room. We approached her family. Two of the men, had their backs to us.

"Hey, guys," Alice said excitedly.

In that instant, my whole world came to a screeching halt and every last bit of oxygen I had in my lungs, left my body. I couldn't breathe…I started shaking.

There, standing right in front of me, was Anthony.

Everything started getting fuzzy and before I knew what was happening, I was being woken up by Alice smacking me in the face.

"Alice, stop smacking her. She's waking up," I heard an unfamiliar voice, say.

"Bella, honey, are you okay?" My mom asked. I was still feeling dizzy and raised my hands to rub at my eyes, "C'mon sweetie, you're scaring me a little."

I opened my eyes slowly. There was a group of people standing around. Some, I didn't even know, "Mom?" I whispered, "What happened?"

I glanced around and saw my dad and Phil, "You passed out when Alice was introducing you to her brothers. Are you feeling okay? Do we need to take you to the hospital?"

"Where is he?" He still had to be around here somewhere. I needed to know why he was here and standing with Alice's family.

"Who, honey?"

I sat up, "Anthony," I said through gritted teeth, "He was just here." I started looking around. When I glanced over at my dad, he was looking at someone like he wanted to kill them.

I followed his line of sight and saw Anthony. He was standing and talking to Alice and her mom and dad.

My heart started racing. _Why was he here? Why now?_

I stood, cleared my head for a second before walking right up to Anthony and punching him. I didn't care where my blow landed as long as he was deadly aware of the fact that he hurt me when he left and I wasn't about to let him get away with it.

"WOAH! What the hell was that for? I don't even know you and you punch me?" He yelled out.

"Don't play coy with me, Anthony. You know exactly why I did that. Why are you here? How did you even know where I was?" I was beyond seething.

He gritted his teeth, giving me a death glare, "I have no clue who you're talking about. I don't even know who you are."

"Hang on, hang on. Bella, this is my brother Anthony Edward Cullen," Alice said with a smile.

"What the hell, Alice? You couldn't warn me? There has to be some kind of mistake. He's him. Anthony, my ex. The one I told you about." I stepped back away from Alice because she was about to be slapped for playing a sick joke on me like this.

"Bella, I promise. They're two different people. I swear to you and I'm sorry. If I would've known you would react this way, I would've warned you."

I shook my head vehemently, "There's no way, Alice. He looks just like him." And I knew there was only one way to find out.

I looked over at Anthony, "Pull up your shirt."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, pull up your shirt. If you're not my ex, then there won't be a birthmark on your stomach," I firmly demanded.

Without any further argument, he pulled his shirt up. I nervously stared, waiting for him to get his shirt up. When he pulled it up, I released a shuddering breath. There wasn't anything there. Definitely no birthmark.

A loud sob escaped me and my hand went to my mouth. This guy, was definitely not Anthony, but his twin.

"I'm so sorry," I whimpered out, "I'm so sorry."

I couldn't face him any longer. I ran from the tent, back to the house and I couldn't get there fast enough.

I felt like I had been slapped in the face with my whole world crashing down around me. I wasn't handling it very well. I felt like I was completely losing it. But I wasn't surprised considering I thought my ex was standing there in front of me like nothing had happened, if he hadn't ripped my heart out when he left me.

I ran straight to my room as soon as I reached the house. For months now, I thought I had put all these feelings behind me. The memories of Anthony, all came back to me. I started feeling that hurt all over again.

When I reached my room, I threw myself on my bed, burying my face in my pillows and letting out every last held tear that built up over Anthony betraying me. I thought I was completely over him, but seeing Alice's brother, killed that thought.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at my door. I didn't want to be around anyone, right now, but the person wasn't going away.

Reluctantly, I got up from my bed and walked to the door, unlocking it. I opened it to find my dad on the other side. I flung myself at him, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest.

He picked me up bridal style and carried me back to my bed.

He sat next to me and let me cry. He was the only person who knew what I went through when Anthony left. I was welcoming his presence.

"Honey, you didn't know. None of us did. Who knew that Anthony had a doppelganger out there, is beyond me," he said, soothingly as he wiped my tears from my face.

I looked up at him, "A what?"

"Doppelganger – it's a person's double," he explained.

"I swore it was him, dad," I cried.

"I know, honey. I thought so, too. I was ready to do what you did, but you beat me to it. I think he's gonna have a nice shiner, later on," he said jokingly, "That's a pretty nice right hook, you've got there. I guess all those classes paid off, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose they did," I chuckled, "He's lucky I didn't do more."

"Boy, that woulda been quite the show," he joked, again.

I hiccupped, calming down from my crying fit, "I need to apologize to mom and Phil. This was their day and I ruined it."

"When I came up here, Alice, I guess that's her name, was explaining to everyone what was going on."

I gaped at him, "Everyone?"

"Well, just the involved parties. Your mom, Phil, her parents and her brothers," he explained.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

I was utterly and completely embarrassed, now. How could I ever face…Anthony? And after what I did to him? I wouldn't be surprised if Alice's parents never let me speak to her again.

Thinking of Alice. I was upset with her for not giving me the heads up. I would say that I didn't understand why she did what she did, but in a way I did. I knew I could forgive her; I just needed to wallow in my self pity for a day or so.

Dad patted me on the knee, "You gonna be okay, baby girl?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for being here for me, dad. You're the only one who knows what I went through after..." I trialed off, finding it hard to say his name, "...after he left," I expressed. My dad, to me, is a best friend. He never let me get away with stuff and played his parent card when needed. He also became that friend I needed and could talk to. I only wished I could tell him the whole story about Anthony without looking like a fool.

"That's why I'm here and not your mom. She feels bad and wishes she could help better," he told me. I slightly smiled, "She knows you went through a hard time. You'll just have to give her a chance to be there for you. She's always been there, but for this, she'll be here for you now. I can't always catch a flight and make it better for you. You're growing up into a beautiful young lady; just don't let what happened between you and Anthony, rule you. Not all guys would do something like that. Anthony was having his cake and eating it, too. In a lot of cases, that's okay, but playing on someone's emotions, isn't."

I sighed, moving to climb into my dads lap. I hugged him as tight as I could, "Thank you, again. I love you, dad." He gave me a tight squeeze, "And thank you for being a friend to me when I needed a friend and being the parent to me, that you are."

"I love you, too, baby girl. Try not to let all this stuff get you down, again. Try to be the teenager you are and save all the other stuff till you're older," he suggested. I agreed. I wasn't searching for another guy anytime soon, "You were doing so good. Just try and push that stuff away, again. I know you can do it."

"I'll try," I said, climbing off his lap, pulling at his hand to help him up, "C'mon old man, you can go back down to the reception. I'm just gonna take a shower and call it an early night. If Alice is still down..." There was a knock at my door.

Dad stepped over and pulled the door open; Alice was there. She looked sad and full of regret, "C'mon in, Alice; I was just leaving." Dad hugged me one more time, "I'll see you tomorrow, love you."

"Love you, too, daddy," I responded and he left.

I walked back over to my bed and climbed up, leaning against my headboard. I didn't know what to say to Alice, so I crossed my legs and arms and sat quietly. I still hadn't looked at her, but I knew she wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"Can I sit?" She motioned to the bed. I nodded, not caring if she did or not, but I wasn't talking first. Call it childish, but I didn't care at the moment.

"I had to check on you before I went home." I nodded, again. I wasn't finding my voice to respond.

The corner of her mouth came up into a half smile, "My brother has a nice shiner."

I still didn't say anything, but smiled slightly. I knew he'd have some kind of mark considering how hard I hit him. I had never punched a guy before and he probably won't ever be my last.

Alice sighed, "Look, Bella, I understand you're upset with me and I don't blame you, but I honestly didn't think..."

I cut her off, "That's just it, Alice, you didn't think. I told you what Anthony did to me. Why wouldn't you think I'd react badly when I saw your brother for the first time? He looks just like him, Alice." I was waving my hands now, "His doppelganger, his twin… it's tearing me up inside because, now, all those memories are coming back to me that I thought were fading away. The ones I don't ever want to think about ever again. It's like having my heart ripped out, all over."

Alice moved further up the bed toward me, wrapping her arms around me, "I really am sorry, Bella and I promise to never keep something that from you, again." She pulled back and held me at arm's length, looking me right in the eyes, "And my brother would like to officially meet you, again. Like a do-over. After I explained to everyone why you reacted the way you did, they understood. Even before your dad came up here, he verified that my brother looks just like your ex."

I shook my head, "I don't know, Alice. I don't know if I could ever face him, again. I'm so humiliated by all this. He must think I'm some sort of crazy lunatic."

"No, Anthony..." I put my hand up to stop her.

"Can we please call your brother something else? The name Anthony isn't my favorite, right now."

She giggled, "Yeah, how 'bout Edward? That's his middle name."

"Perfect. Sounds a whole lot better. Can you ask him for me, if it's okay to call him that?" I shook my head, "I don't wanna sound like a nut case, but I think if I called him by a different name, I might be able to see past the fact that he looks just like…you know who."

"You make him sound like Voldemort from Harry Potter…he-who-must-not-be-named," she joked, giggling at me, "I don't think he'd have a problem with it, though; given the circumstances."

She hugged me, again, "Are we okay, now?" I nodded, "Good 'cause, I wasn't going home until I knew we were, okay. We just became friends and we'll be spending a lot of time with each other over the next week, and well, from now on considering school, I didn't want to have anything hanging over our heads."

I smiled at her, "I don't wanna rush you out, but I need to shower. I think I have sand in my underwear."

We said our good-byes and Alice left. I grabbed my night clothes and headed for the shower. Tomorrow, mom and Phil would be leaving for Barbados.

* * *

**Another chapter down. Again, loving the reviews.**

**I think I have some rec's this chapter.**

**Unexpected by RockRaven244**

**The Affair by johnnyboy7**

**Caged by Savage7289**

**Twilight on the BLUE LAGOON by knicnort3**

**Walk by mustlovertp**

* * *

**Thanks bunches,**

**~Stephanie~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, totally random, but I'm watching Titanic. Haven't seen it in years.**

**Here we go, the next chapter of Ghostly Double. I've encountered some more confusion. I promise, it'll all become clearer, very soon. Just keep asking the questions and I'll be glad to answer.**

**For those of you who didn't know...My E&B-never cheat or abuse each other. And this may spoil it all, but there's always and HEA. There won't always be Canon couples, but my E&B always find each other. I write what makes the story work.**

**Thanks for reading. **

**Enjoy!**

**Update: 8/7/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 5**

**BPOV**

* * *

I woke to my mom sitting on my bed. I startled a little, not expecting her to be sitting there, "Morning, sweetie."

"What time is it?" I asked in my morning gruffy voice.

She patted my leg, "It's ten, but Phil and I wanted to say bye before we left," she said, getting up from my bed.

I sat up, "Okay. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Sure." She turned to leave, but stopped and came back to sit down, "Can we talk for a minute? Mom and daughter?"

"Of course." I leaned against my headboard.

"Yesterday..."

I cut her off, "Oh, God, mom. I'm so sorry for ruining everything; I snapped. I'm sorry; I really am."

"Oh, sweetie. You didn't ruin anything. Alice explained some and when your dad came back down, he told us some more." She sighed, "Listen, I owe you an apology. I didn't realize your relationship with Anthony was that serious. I thought it was an innocent teenage romance, but your dad said you two were pretty serious and that's pretty intense. Dad noticed that you two were like each others shadows." She turned and looked at me a little more closely, "Were you two intimate with each other?" It never crossed my mind that dad noticed us so easily. Maybe we weren't so discrete, after all.

"What?!" I screeched, "No, mom. Gosh. That's one thing I can give Anthony credit for, he never pushed me."

"Well, I'm a teacher, honey and I see how girls and boys get so attached to one another once they start having sex," she stated, patting my hand.

I shook my head at her slightly, "No, I can assure you that I'm still a virgin. I think I'll die one."

"You will not. You're only sixteen. Give it some time. You don't wanna rush it. Great love will find you when it's ready, and it will. Look how long it took for me to find my great love."

I moved closer to hug her, "Thanks. I have two of the best parents."

"Three," she said.

"Three?"

"You forgot Phil. I'm sure in due time he'll prove that he can be there for you, too. He's great at doing things for people, but he's also a great listener."

We finished up our conversation and she left. I dressed quickly and met them downstairs.

My dad was already up and moving around since he always gets up at the crack of dawn. He was staying at our house with me for an extra day before he had to fly home.

You would think it was weird that he was staying at his ex-wife's house and attended her wedding, but since they're such great friends, Phil insisted that my dad come. That's a good thing, I suppose. Phil and my dad have become really good friends, too and my dad is a huge fan of Phil's- sports and personally.

"Hey, baby girl. Did you get some sleep?" My dad asked as I sat down next to him at the table.

"Yeah, I slept pretty good. Better than I thought I would." Mom was finishing up breakfast for everyone and serving it.

I looked up at my mom, "What time do you guys have to leave?"

She dropped a slice of french toast on my plate, "An hour. Phil's loading up the car." She added a couple slices of bacon, "Now listen, your dad leaves tomorrow. Do you think you can drive him to the airport or I can have Carlisle do it."

"I think I can handle taking him to the airport, mom," I replied.

Phil entered the kitchen and sat next to me while mom started piling food on his plate, "All set. We've left a list of things to keep an eye on around the house, but other than everything else, you think you'll be okay here by yourself? I'm sure Carlisle wouldn't mind you staying there."

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm good here. After last night, I wouldn't be surprised if he ever talks to me, again," I stressed. I wasn't sure how everyone felt about it, but If I stayed at their house, I'd feel panicky all the time and trying to hide constantly.

Phil chuckled, "That was a nice right hook, by the way, but don't worry about Carlisle. Everyone understands, now."

"Well, I still feel like an ass, regardless," I deadpanned, grabbing more bacon. I love bacon with syrup.

"You're not an ass," mom said, "Anyway, the pool guy will be here on Tuesday and the landscapers on Thursday. We'll be home on Sunday afternoon. We've left all the hotel information. Alice mentioned going shopping, but you have your credit card for that. Don't go overboard. Just get what you need. Annnd, if you need anything, Carlisle and Esme's numbers are on the list, but Alice will be here every day and she could always give you their number."

"Can she just stay here with me?"

"Yes. We've already talked to Carlisle and Esme. They'll be checking in, so answer your phone if they call," she instructed.

"Speaking of phones, can I replace mine? The screen is cracked and it keeps freezing up."

"Sure."

We all finished eating while mom continued to scramble around the house. She probably drank one too many Red Bulls this morning.

Once mom and Phil left, dad turned to me, "So, you wanna hit up the boardwalk? Get some father/daughter time in before I leave tomorrow?"

"Sounds fun. Let me go change. Give me ten minutes," I said before turning and running upstairs to my room.

I dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, slipping on a pair of sandals. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, pulling a hat on and my ponytail through the hole in the back. I didn't put any make-up on. I wasn't really much of a make-up person, but occasionally, I'd wear it.

It took me eight minutes to get dressed.

Dad changed, too, putting on a pair of Bermuda shorts, a button up Hawaiian looking shirt and some sandals. He definitely looked way outta character and a lot like a tourist.

"Ready, kiddo?"

"Yup," I tossed my keys to him, "You can drive."

"Um...sure. You'll have to show me the way," he said, holding the door open for me. He turned and locked the door before he met me at my car.

We made it to the boardwalk and parked away from a lot of the cars. Dad said, "Away from other cars, less chance of a scratch."

I just shook my head at him. He could be so ridiculous sometimes.

We walked around and did some window shopping. He picked up a few things to take back home with him and a couple of gifts for his buddy, Billy.

We stopped and ate at a small deli; just grabbing sandwiches. I was having such a great time with my dad.

We were leaving the deli and I stopped abruptly, "Can we wait here a minute?"

"Something wrong?"

"Alice's brother is over there. Can we wait until he goes away?" Edward was standing about fifty feet away from where we came out of the deli. He was with a few other people. Two girls and another guy. One of the girls was probably his girlfriend. I didn't want to find out, but it was only obvious considering one of the girls was looking at him like she wanted to devour him, as he talked to his other male friend.

Just as we were about to turn and walk the other way, he saw me. It was like he sensed me and turned around, looking right at me. I could see his black-eye clear as day. It looked a little puffy. I felt bad, but then again, this whole moment seemed too spooky if you ask me, but I just wanted to get out of there, "Never mind, he saw me; let's go."

"Bells, you know you'll have to talk to him eventually because he's Alice's brother. You can't avoid him forever," dad said, wrapping his arm round my shoulders, "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream before we head back to the house."

As we turned to walk away, I heard my name. I turned to see Edward waving at me. I waved back a small wave, but he saw it, smiling at me.

"Well, see, look at that. You're all paranoid about nothing. If he was still pissed at you for the shiner, he wouldn't wave at you," my dad teased. He was right, but I wasn't gonna go outta my way to say hello.

We settled on frozen yogurt and sat on a bench to eat it, enjoying each others company. I kept glancing around to see if I could see Edward. I spotted him a couple of times and he always noticed when I was looking. I still couldn't get over the fact that Edward looked exactly like my ex...Anthony. I wasn't sure how I could deal with it. I already felt like I was going insane. To keep what sanity I had left, I'd have to avoid him like the plague.

We finished our frozen treat and made our way back to my car. Dad kept giving me weird looks as we walked, "What?"

"Nothing. You'll come around."

I pretended like I didn't know what he was talking about and left it at that.

I enjoyed my time with my dad. He promised to come back at Thanksgiving to spend a few days with me while I was out of school for the holiday break. I wished he'd move here to Florida and I could see him whenever I wanted.

The next day, I dropped him off at the airport; not without tons of heartache. I was gonna miss him like crazy. I hated to see him leave, but I put on my big girl panties and drove back home, slowly.

That night around seven, Alice showed up, pulling a suitcase behind her, "Are you moving in?"

"No, but considering that I'll be here all week, I need plenty of clothes. My parents said no funny business, so I'm sure we can find plenty of stuff to do to keep us busy." She rambled on and on. We finally made our way up to my room. She was supposed to be staying in one of the guest rooms, but for some reason, I knew she'd end up staying in my room with me every night.

I didn't have a friendship like this when I lived with my dad. There were a few people that I called my friends, but I never had sleep overs or went out. I spent all of my time with Anthony and before him, I had my nose stuck in a book and reverted back to that when Anthony left. At the time, I didn't regret spending all my free time with Anthony, but now, I wish that I never met Anthony Masen.

"My brother said he saw you yesterday with your dad. He said he waved." It was like she was fishing for information, but there wasn't any.

I glanced up at her after I threw my pillows off the bed, "Did he also mention that I waved back?"

"Yeah, he wanted to talk to you, but he said it seemed like you were trying to avoid him and seek him out at the same time."

I shook my head, "I was spending time with my dad, plus I'm not ready to talk to or see him if I could help it. Yesterday was a fluke that I saw him. I still feel like a shit for what I did to him." I plopped down on my bed, scooting up to lean on the headboard.

We were about to watch a movie and eat lots of junk food. A typical girls night except this was going to be a girls week.

"Bella, Anth…Edward's over what happened and wants to meet you properly. I think once you meet each other, your opinion of him might change. I think he may like you."

I shook my head, "I don't think so. Not right now. I decked the guy, Alice. How could he befriend me or even like me after what I did? That's just ridiculous," I exclaimed. There was no way that Edward could be my friend or like me. He doesn't even know me. Alice was talking out her ass.

"Bella, believe me, he's been snooping for information about you since last night. Yes, he was pissed, but once he heard what was really going on, he waved it off like it never happened. He even thinks the black eye looks good on him," she explained, but I wasn't giving in so easily.

I gave her my best bitch brow, "Whatever, Alice. I don't know. We'll see in due time and that time isn't now."

"Fine. It's not often that I see my brother have an interest in a girl," she said, climbing up on the bed.

"Mmhmm…that's why he was at the boardwalk with a couple of girls," I retorted, reaching for the remote.

Alice shook her head, "That was just Eric, Jessica and Lauren. Jessica is Eric's girlfriend and Lauren, well, she's just their friend." I still wasn't as interested as she wanted me to be.

Alice chuckled at my facial expression, "You could have fooled me. One of the girls was looking at him like he was the last piece of food on earth."

"That would be Lauren. It's no secret that she likes Anth…Edward," she replied, sighing heavily, "She's always liked him, but he's made it perfectly clear that he doesn't like her that way." I was happy for the most part that Alice was catching her slip-ups using the name Anthony, and I appreciated it, but if it was gonna be too hard on anyone to change that because of me, I'd have to find a way to deal with it and get over it.

"Can we stop talking about your brother and watch a movie?"

We actually made it through the whole movie without talking. Alice kept texting someone, but I ignored it the best that I could, "Who the hell do you keep texting?"

"My bro…never mind. No one. I'll stop." She shoved her phone into her pocket, "See, no more."

I pretended like I didn't catch her almost slip-up about her brother. I knew what she was doing. She was trying to get my curiosity built up, but I wasn't going to fall for it.

Wednesday came around and we were heading to the mall to do our school shopping. Alice already knew what we needed. My mom was able to get me registered for school before they left because she pulled a few strings because of her being a teacher at the same school, that I'll be attending.

I let Alice drive and I wished we were in my car. She had me almost peeing my pants. Not from laughter, but from being scared. I was reconsidering the idea of carpooling with her. I'd much rather do all the driving myself and not risk my life every day I let her drive. I'd like to make it to school or anywhere else with dry pants.

We made it to the mall and I fell out of the car yelling, "LAND!, LAND!, LAND!"

"Geez, Bella, you think you could be a little more dramatic?"

"Not dramatic enough," I chuckled, "Who the hell taught you to drive, anyway? I think I peed in my shorts a little," I joked.

Alice stuck her tongue out at me, "Shut it, Bella. I happen to be a very good driver."

"In your dreams, Mario Andretti," I retorted, copying her actions and sticking my tongue out at her.

We continued our walk into the mall. I'd still throw a joke at her about her driving. Her only defense was, to stick her tongue out at me.

I honestly think that we visited just about every store in the mall. We were finally taking a break to have some lunch.

Alice and I chose to eat at separate places. She was in the mood for Chinese and I wanted a Philly Steak sandwich.

I was halfway through my sandwich when I looked up and saw Edward walking toward us, "Alice, you didn't? Please tell me you didn't call your brother to meet us here." She looked guilty, "Dammit, Alice," I shoved myself away from the table to get away, "I'll take a cab home."

"Bella, SIT. DOWN. I'll take you home after we're done eating." She glanced over her shoulder at Edward who had just walked up, "Would you like to join us?"

I growled at her. I was still standing when Edward stepped over to pull a chair out. He looked at me, "Bella, can we start over, please?"

I hadn't really looked at him. I was too afraid that I'd want to punch him, again, because he looks just like Anthony, "I don't…"

"C'mon, Alice said you'd rather call me Edward and I don't mind. Honest. Please sit back down. I promise that I'm a really nice guy once you get to know me." He looked over at Alice, "Right, Alice?"

Alice nodded, "You just couldn't let it go? You couldn't give me a full week before you played mediator?" I was sounding really bitchy and I knew it. Alice was definitely a pushy little thing.

"Finish eating your food. It looks good actually. What is it? A Philly from _Connors_?" Edward asked.

"Yes," I answered through gritted teeth.

"I think I'll go get one for myself. I'll be right back," he said, walking off.

As soon as he was outta ear shot, I pounced, "Alice, how could you do this to me? All I needed was a little time and you pushed it. I don't know if I can handle this." I shook my head, "Why are you pushing so much anyway? It's like you want me to go insane." Alice got up from her seat to stand in front of me.

"It was meant to be this way. I've seen it" She whispered, "You and my brother are meant to be together," she explained.

I gave her a disbelieving look, "What do you mean by_ meant to be toget__her?_ And you've seen it? What are you, some kind of witch fortune teller from the circus?"

"Yes."

My eyes grew wide, "Huh?"

"Yes, I'm a witch. Not so much a fortune teller, but I can see things before they happen," she said, smiling.

I had to sit down, now. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'd pass out, if I didn't.

A few minutes later, Edward came back with his food and noticed the expression on my face, "What's wrong with her?"

"I told her," Alice replied, returning to her seat.

"I thought you were gonna wait?" Edward asked, sitting down next to Alice, across from me.

"Well, she sorta let the cat outta the bag herself and asked me," she retorted, picking up her drink and taking sip.

"Did you tell her everything?" Edward looked really concerned as he looked over at me.

Alice shrugged her shoulders, "Some. I'll tell her the rest back at the house. I don't think the mall is a good place to tell her the rest," she explained.

"Can you both stop talking like I'm not sitting right here? For fucks sakes," I growled out.

They both replied, "Sorry."

Edward started eating his food. I couldn't even think about finishing mine. I completely lost my appetite.

A million things kept running through my mind. The only thing that was sticking out was the story that Marcus had told me; where he mentioned witches and warlocks.

This was real life. All the fairytale movies I watched as a kid, made me wonder if there really were any other supernatural people out there. I've already encountered Vampires...Now, witches?

I may seem to take things and keep secrets very well, but that doesn't mean that I don't think about them constantly. I get chills sometimes, when I'm by myself, thinking about all the things I've encountered. After having Anthony in my life, some stuff shouldn't surprise me, but it does.

* * *

**Short but sweet, right? Some chapters will be longer, but nothing less then what you just read.**

**So, Alice is a WITCH! Yup...more next chapter. More info, too.**

**What do you think about Alice butting in? She means well, right? yeah, she always does.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**THANKS FOR READING! I'm loving my reviews.**

**~Stephanie~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delayed update. I could give you some bullshit story, but I'm not gonna. I will admit that I had to clean my house half ass and be caught up in the fabulous, enamoring story called Beyond Time by TKegl. **

**I know, I know, rec'ing a story already, but I couldn't help it. I love it.**

**Before you read...JSYK...I DO NOT know jack crap about anything WICA. Nada, nothing, Zilch. This is my fiction story and I'm writing it the way I imagine it, so if I've miscontruded anything about WICA, I do apologize, this is simply fiction. That's all there is to it. **

**Last chapter, I completely spaced out and didn't thank Loopylou992 for pre-reading and suggesting stuff for me, so THANK YOU, THANK YOU. One for last chapter and one for this chapter. **

**Last but not least, I don't own any characters in this story, just the plot line.**

**Enjoy!**

**Update: 8/9/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 6**

**BPOV**

* * *

I sat glancing between Alice and Edward. They were acting as if nothing of importance was happening. To me, it was all important. They couldn't drop such a bombshell on me and carry on like they told me it was raining...like it was nothing.

I continued watching as Edward finished his food, burping as he slurped up the rest of his drink.

I wasn't sure what we were going to do next, "So, where to, next?"

"Didn't you need to get a new phone?" Alice asked as she stood from the table to throw away her trash.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. This one..." I raised up my old phone to show them. "...keeps freezing up and the screen is cracked," I answered, getting up and following Alice and Edward to the garbage bin.

We were in and out of the Apple store, in no time. I knew what I wanted right away and thank goodness, it wasn't that busy. I was the proud owner of a brand new iPhone 5.

"All set. My house?" I asked, looking at Alice. She looked over at Edward.

"Do you mind if he comes over? We can head down to the beach or hang out by the pool," she suggested, but I was reluctant about agreeing to let Edward come over.

I didn't care that she said Edward and I are meant to be together. There was no way I was pursuing him. She had another thing coming if she thought that forcing me to spend time with him would change that.

I agreed, begrudgingly, to Edward coming over, but I was planning to stay as far away from him, as possible.

Edward followed us to my house. He had a pretty nice truck. A jacked up Toyota Tacoma 4x4. I expected him to have a little sports car. He seemed like the kind of guy who wanted to flaunt what he had.

When we got to my house, I was true to myself and tried to stay as far away from Edward, as I could. I continually felt his eyes on me. I ignored him; not wanting to give him any indication that I was interested. Since he looked exactly like Anthony, all I wanted to do was beat the shit outta him. It was like re-opening an old wound when I looked at him.

He tried to get me by myself a few times, but I dodged him the best I could. I stuck by Alice, like glue.

* * *

It was getting late, around dinner time. I wasn't sure if Edward was staying or not, but dinner was getting made regardless. I decided to cook instead of ordering out. I was making chicken enchiladas; a whole Mexican meal.

Alice helped me the best she could while Edward hung out in the media room. I was sure he could keep himself occupied long enough, up there, considering Phil spared no expense on making up the room. A huge seventy inch LCD flat screen TV, graced the wall, a stereo system that would put a club to shame, movies galore and every video game system you could think of.

From the kitchen, I could hear a movie playing. I wasn't sure, but it sounded like an action movie. I could hear explosions and gunfire. Those were my favorites. I only liked watching chick-flicks every once in a while.

Alice and I finished dinner and decided to join Edward. Alice made a plate for him and brought it up with us. He paused the movie while we ate.

"This is really good, Bella. Where'd you learn to cook like this?" Edward asked before he shoved another huge bite into his mouth.

"Um…my grandma Swan and my mom. A lot of other stuff, I taught myself," I told him and smiled. The smiled dropped as soon as I realized I did it.

We continued eating, nothing being said until I remembered that Alice was supposed to explain some stuff to me about her being a witch. I glanced up at her, "So, Alice, you were supposed to explain some stuff to me."

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that. I've kept my mouth shut until now, so start talking." I chuckled, "You said you were a witch. What's up with that?" I half smiled at her, thinking maybe the entire thing was a joke, but nothing really surprises me anymore.

Alice straightened up in her seat and looked over at Edward. He nodded a couple of times, telling her to go ahead and tell me.

"Well," she sighed, "It's true. I'm a witch. My mom is, too," she said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

I nodded my head so she knew I heard her, "What about your dad, Evan and you, Edward? Are you guys witches, too?"

Edward shook his head, "No, It's rare that Wicca powers are passed from mother to son. It's always the mother to daughter. There's a 98% chance for the daughter to inherit her powers from her mom. The same goes for the males. If our dad were a Warlock, there would have been a 98% chance that I and or Evan would have inherited the Wicca powers," Edward explained and I understood for the most part.

"So, if Alice ever has a daughter, there would be a huge chance that her daughter would be a witch, too?" I wanted to make sure that I understood them correctly.

"Exactly," Alice responded.

"So, do they have witch schools like in Harry Potter?" I asked, wondering just how ridiculous my question sounded, but you never know. I've already brought myself into the supernatural world.

"No, silly," Alice replied, "We do have spell books, though."

"That's interesting," I retorted, getting up from my seat on the couch to take my plate to the kitchen. Alice and Edward followed me.

Alice leaned up against the center island, "Do you have any more questions?"

My curiosity was getting the better of me. I didn't want to mention Vampires, but maybe other_ out of the ordinary_ things, "Are there any other supernatural things out there? I mean, you're a witch, so there has to be other stuff, right?" I was playing dumb, but little did they know, I knew one of other kind of being.

"Well, there is…"

"Alice, maybe Bella should find this stuff out on her own," suggested Edward.

"Why? If she's gonna find out, maybe she should at least have a heads up so she won't be so surprised," Alice replied.

Edward shook his head in disagreement, but I pushed for more answers, "Yeah, how about we start with werewolves?"

Alice nodded, "That's easy."

"Where?" If I was living amongst werewolves, I'd wanna know.

"Everywhere across the United States. More so in the Pacific Northwest where you came from," Alice said, but she cringed after she said it.

"You're kidding me, right? My dad could be living dead smack in the middle of a wolf pack and not even know it," I simply stated, sounding incredulously surprised.

Alice and Edward both nodded their heads.

"Should I be concerned? Should I warn him?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little panicked.

"No, the wolves that live in that area, protect the humans of that whole region from other stuff," Alice explained, and I wondered what other stuff.

Alice and Edward shared a look between each other, "Like what? What the hell could be worse than werewolves?"

"Well, first of all, there are wolves, then there are werewolves. The wolves that live throughout the U.S, are shape shifters and can phase between wolf and human when they need too. Werewolves are mostly found in Eastern Europe, but they can't help when they turn. It's true about werewolves only changing during a full moon and they're highly dangerous," Alice continued to explain to me. This information really did surprise me and I acted as if it didn't stun me.

"You said_ other stuff;_ what types of other stuff? Like Orcs from _**'Lord of the Rings'**_**,** demons, the wicked witch of the west?" I was sounding sarcastic, but Alice didn't flinch when I was naming off the different things.

"You'd be surprised, honestly," she answered, smiling slightly at me.

I turned away from them and walked to the back window, looking out over the ocean, "So, it's all true? Marcus was right," I whispered to myself, but not quiet enough.

"Who's Marcus?" Edward asked, "And what's all true?"

He was standing right behind me and when I turned to look at him, my heart felt like it stopped. I took in a huge deep breath, trying to collect myself. Images of Anthony were flashing in my head.

_How was I __supposed to__ be around Edward with him looking just like Anthony? _ I always come back to that question.

Edward must've noticed my uneasiness and took a step back from me, but not before he touched my arm and asked, "Are you okay?"

I flinched back from him, "I'm…I'm fine." I glanced over to Alice, pleadingly, "I have to tell you something, but before I do, I don't want any secrets kept between us." I turned to look at Edward, "You have to give me space, please. This is already hard on me enough as it is because you're identical to my ex."

I walked over and sat down next to Alice, "First of all, why'd you act like you didn't know what a doppelganger was? You're a witch, Alice, you had to know."

"I did and I'm sorry. Don't get me wrong, I'm really interested in learning more about my brothers doppelganger," she said, placing her hand on mine.

"It's more like Edward is Anthony's doppelganger," I said, glancing up at Edward.

"How so? You said Anthony was a Senior in high school when you were a Sophomore. He's graduated by now, making him at least a year older than Edward."

I shook my head, "Try a hundred and two years older," I stated, matter-of-factually.

Edward choked on air, "Excuse me?" He stepped closer to us.

"You heard me right. Anthony was 120 years old when he and I got together. He and his brother posed as high school students. They're Vampires," I said quickly, but I knew they heard me.

"You know about Vampires?" Alice asked, with surprise in her voice.

"Yes." I lowered my head, feeling a little embarrassed to admit something like that, "I only know of four, though. One being my ex." I went on to explain who they were and how sweet Marcus and Claire had been, to me, but Alice kept looking at me like I was too much of a softie.

"Wow," Edward said, "And you don't know of anything else? Well, until now," Edward inquired.

"That would be correct, but from now on, nothing will probably surprise me."

Alice got up and started pacing the room, "Alice, what's wrong?"

She stepped closer to me and whispered, "Did you let him feed from you?"

Edward excused himself and left the room, claiming he needed the restroom, before I could answer, "Yes, why?"

"Oh, God."

"Alice, you're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong," I demanded.

"He could find you if he wanted, too. Once a Vampire feeds from a human, and doesn't kill them, they can find them any where in the world if they wanted, too. It doesn't matter where you are or how long it's been. It's like GPS system. Would there ever be a reason why Anthony would come looking for you?"

I shook my head, "No. I had asked him to give me time to see if I could deal with him cheating on me. That's all I asked from him, but he's the one who left and never said a word to anyone. I honestly don't think he'd come looking for me," I explained. I did hope what I was saying was true and he didn't come looking for me. There was no reason. I don't want him back in my life...whatsoever.

I sighed and slumped back into my chair. Alice sat down next to me and placed her hand on my knee, "I think you need a protection shield just in case. Vampires can compel you and make you do anything they want. Having a protection shield, will protect you from being compelled if he were to ever come looking for you. If you didn't have it, he could make you..."

"Wait! Are you gonna put this shield on me?" I asked, scooting close to the edge of my seat, "Because, by all means, have at it. I don't want anything to do with him. I just want him to stay away from me and out of my life."

Alice leaned closer to me and whispered, "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," I answered.

"I know you already told me that you didn't sleep with him, but now isn't the time to hold back any untruths. You're positive that you never…you know?"

I shook my head vehemently, "No, I was telling you the truth. I was too scared."

Alice patted my hand, "Don't be embarrassed, I am, too."

I smiled at her. That eased my conscience…somewhat.

"Okay, so what difference does it make whether or not if I have or haven't?"

"It makes the bond stronger, but since you didn't, then the protection spell will work a whole lot easier. It'll have to be me and my mom to do it, but it has to be done and soon," she said, getting up from her seat and pulling her phone out of her pocket.

I assumed she was calling her mom, so I sat back and waited for her while she continued with her call.

Edward came back in the room and walked over to me, "Can I sit?"

"Sure."

Edward sat down in the chair next to me and turned toward me, "I know you don't want anything to do with me, but I wish you'd give me a chance. I promise I'm nothing like Anthony, your ex. I don't care if you call me Edward or whatever you want. I'll dye my hair and get tattoos if that's what it'll take."

I giggled at him, shaking my head, "Why? Is it because of what Alice said about us?"

"I won't lie, that's part of it, but before you even decked me, I don't know…I can't explain it. You sorta slapped me in the face before you even touched me," he clarified, giving me a gorgeous crooked grin.

I tilted my head, looking up at him, "This is so hard for me. It's harder because of..."

"Because I look just like him, I know. I can't help that," he said, cutting me off mid sentence.

"You have to understand, though, if I give you a chance, I don't want you or even myself to think it's because of that reason. I have to be sure of myself, but I do know that I don't want him back in my life. He shattered me," I expressed, giving him a pained look.

"I understand; I really do. I just want a chance and I promise not to push you. I just want your friendship, right now. I think that's really important," he expressed and I felt a little relief that all he wanted was a friendship with me.

I smiled at him, "Can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Absolutely, anything you want," he replied.

"Thank you. That's all I ask." We smiled at each other, "I'm gonna go get a drink. I'll be right back; you want something?"

"No thanks. I'm sure Alice is almost done on the phone. I'll see what's going on," he said, getting up and walking into the living room where Alice was on the phone.

I pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured myself some filtered water, from the fridge.

Leaning up against the kitchen island, I took a deep breath. _Could I let Edward into my_ _life?_ That's the big question of the evening. _Even if it is just as friends?_ Everyone can use a friend and I wanted to give him a chance at a friendship. I'm so afraid, though. I'm afraid of being drawn toward him because of who he looks like or hating him for the same reason. _Ugh, fuck my life!_

I had been in the kitchen for a few minutes before Alice and Edward came and joined me, "Okay, my mom agrees with me about the protection spell, so she'll be over tomorrow night. Does anyone else know about Anthony? I mean, about him and his family being Vampires?"

"No, not that I know of. I do know that he compelled the girl he cheated on me with. She doesn't remember him at all and as far as I know, they've never compelled me. They all promised and I trusted them. Anthony's the only one that screwed me over." I dropped my chin to my chest, feeling the hurt edge its way up into my chest again. I wanted so badly to hold my emotions in and knew that the moment I got a little time to myself, the dam would break.

Alice smiled, "That's good, now, how about we forget all about the supernatural crap and watch a movie. We need something funny. Who's in?"

"Me," Edward and I both answered.

Alice grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward the entertainment room, "I was eye-balling _**Due Date,**_ have you seen it yet?"

"Nope, sounds good, though." I plopped down on the couch while Alice helped herself to the DVD collection. There are so many that I haven't even seen, yet.

* * *

We had a great time watching the movie. I hadn't laughed so much in months and it felt good. I nearly peed my pants when Peter convinced Darryl to drive over the rain gutters on the side of the road and made Zach Galifianakis'- Ethan - fly up in the air. That shit was hilarious.

Edward left shortly after the movie was over. It was getting late and I was pretty tired. I was sure I'd pass out as soon as my head it the pillow, but Alice had other plans.

"Do you have any questions about tomorrow night?"

"Is there any pain involved?" I think if there was any pain, I'd endure it anyway just in case Anthony ever did come back, he couldn't compel me.

"No, far from it. My mom and I will stand on each side of you and it's so cliche', but we'll hold hands around you and say the spell together. It will only take a few minutes. It's no big deal, but it'll protect you from him if he decides to show up. Which we all hope doesn't happen, right?" She looked me in the eyes to gauge my reaction, but I didn't have one.

I nodded, "I don't want anything to do with him."

"Good, now, I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Mind if I crash in here with you?"

I giggled at her, "Are you seriously asking me that? You haven't asked before, so by all means, sleep away."

We both giggled and settled into bed. We were asleep in no time.

* * *

**A/N: One more typed up chapter, then we start working on posting two chapters a week. I'm about to fall asleep right now, as it is, but I needed to get this out. Again, sorry for the delay.**

**This is totally random...where I live, Knoxville, TN, we have these Digital Marquese signs that are across our freeways/highways, signifying whether or not there are any accidents due to the major traffic jam that you're sitting in. Well, today, when I passed one, it said "DON'T DRIVE DROWSY"...how many more things are they gonna tell us not to do while driving? Next it'll be "DON'T DRIVE WET...May Cause Electrical Shock" or some bullshit like that.**

**Okay, yeah, I'm really tired. **

**Just a couple of rec's...I already did one up top. TKegl, check this author out.**

**Little Pink House by staceleo**

**My Biggest Mistake, My Greatest Salvation by LyricalKris (just completed)**

**Isabella by Shiloh2010**

* * *

**GOOD NIGHT/GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think. Next chapter is a lot longer. Double this chapter...well, a little less than double. AND I'm rambling again.**

**THANK YOU!**

**~Stephanie~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we go. After this, I will be trying my hardest to post twice a week. If not, definitely, once a week. I'm not sure what days, but it gives me time to get the already written chapters, typed up. I couldn't tell you how many chapters there are. I've written it out, not separating the chapters. I decide where to stop after I've gotten so far. And, as far as an EPOV, I've only gotten one request.**

**Very special Thank You to Loopylou992 for pre-reading, so any mistakes are mine, NOT hers. Big huge hug for ya. I look forward to Skyping with you.**

**All the normal protocal...I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. No copyright infringement intended...blah...blah...blah**

**Enjoy!**

**Update: 8/10/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

* * *

I was getting used to Alice staying with me and the next day after our huge talk about witches, Vampires and all the like, we didn't do anything. We hung around the pool and I was finally getting a pretty good tan.

Around six o'clock, I heard the chime for the doorbell. Alice and I hurried into the house and when I opened it, Alice's mom and Edward were there. I saw Carlisle walking up the sidewalk behind them.

"Hey, c'mon in." I moved out of the way for all three of them to come in. Alice led them into the living room, "Can I get anyone something to drink?"

They said _no thank you_, so I took a seat on the loveseat next to Alice.

Esme walked over and stood in front of the fireplace, "Okay, Bella, the spell that Alice and I are using on you will protect you from compulsion or any other mind manipulation. Did Alice explain all that to you?"

I nodded, looking between Alice and her mom. My eyes landed on Carlisle, "Does my mom and Phil know about any of this?"

"Nothing," he answered, "Alice asked permission first before she told you and to say we were surprised that you already knew about Vampires, was overwhelming just a bit, but we do need to keep your parents in the dark as much as possible," Carlisle explained.

I nodded in agreement. The less they knew about the whole supernatural world, the better.

"Okay." Esme turned toward Alice and gestured for her to join her, "Alice, Bella, this will only take a few minutes. We'll go have dinner afterward. It's that simple."

Alice and Esme, stood on either side of me, placing their arms around me and holding each others hands; encasing me.

They began chanting the same words over and over. None of them made any sense to me. I stood looking at Edward the entire time. His facial expression was calm; almost in a relieved sort of way.

Carlisle had the same look, but his was more of confidence and I trusted them to keep me safe. I was pretty sure that if Anthony ever showed up, he wouldn't hesitate to try and compel me, although sometimes, I wished that he had compelled me so that I wouldn't know anything about him. It would be like he never existed.

About five minutes passed when Alice and Esme pulled apart, smiling, "All set, any questions?"

We walked over and sat down, "Yeah, actually I do. It's about Edward. Um…I'm sure Alice told you that Edward is Anthony's doppelganger." Esme nodded and I slumped my shoulders in defeat because I was actually concerned for Edwards well-being, "I'm worried that if by chance, Anthony does show up, is Edward protected, too?"

Esme placed her hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry about my son…he's protected, and somehow, we'll make sure that your parents are protected, too. We may have to pretend or do it when they're sleeping, but we'll get it done. As far as your dad, we'll have to figure something out. He's coming at Thanksgiving, right?" I nodded, "We'll do the best we can, okay, sweetie?"

"Thank you, 'cause, I'd just…I don't know, I wouldn't want anything happening to Edward or anyone else because of me," I expressed, "Oh, and um...since Alice can see the future, more or less, is there anyway she can channel something to come to her. Maybe see if she can see Anthony?"

"Alice is still working on her visions. She'll have to be pretty invested in wanting to see if anything happens." Esme turned and looked at Alice, "Maybe you can work on seeing if anything comes up."

Alice nodded, "I'll do whatever I can."

Edward stood and came to kneel in front of me, "Hey, don't worry about me. As much as I'm flattered by it, don't. You can't worry yourself over something that we don't even know will happen, but better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's just all hope that he never shows up here, but now that I know what I know, my gut tells me other wise." Edward stood up and backed away so that I could stand.

Alice sidled up next to me, "We'll be okay," she said, "Now, mom, you said something about dinner?"

"Yes, you girls go get changed. We're going out to dinner, now chop chop." She clapped her hands and then fanned them to shoo us away.

Alice and I ran upstairs and changed. It was Thursday and my mom and Phil were due back on Sunday. I was missing them like crazy, but I also hoped that they were enjoying themselves immensely.

We all piled into Carlisle's Mercedes. I sat between Alice and Edward, in the back seat. I felt awkward being so close to Edward and a little secure. I couldn't tell if it was coming from him or Alice.

We ended up having dinner at a nice little quaint restaurant; mostly American food. I wasn't complaining; I didn't have to cook. Carlisle insisted that he was paying for me. He said it was the least he could do for his best-friends kid. It didn't bother me that he said it that way. I loved Phil; he's a great guy and I honestly don't mind being referred to as Phil's kid. Phil's more or less my dad's stand in while he's back in Washington.

There wasn't a whole lot of talk during dinner. They asked about the classes that I would be taking. All of my classes were Advanced or Honors. I hoped that I could graduate early, if I wanted, too. It all depended on me having enough credits by second semester.

Alice gave me a pouty look when I mentioned graduating early, "What? I'm sure you could graduate early, too, if you got your butt in gear."

"How'd you get so smart?"

"I had a lot of time on my hands before and after He-who-must-not-be-named. I did nothing but study and took summer classes and banked all the extra credit that I could. That's why all my classes are Advanced or Honors. One of the classes is college prep," I explained, giving Alice her pouty look back.

Esme smiled at me, "Your parents must be really proud of you."

"I'd like to think they are," I retorted, reaching for my drink.

"If your Advanced English Lit class is with Mrs. Warrick, you'll be in my class," Edward said; his smile gleaming at me.

My stomach flipped when he smiled. I couldn't help but smile back at him, "I think that's who I have. You're a Senior, right?"

"Yeah," he smiled wider. A look of accomplishment graced his face.

"That's cool," I nodded, "I guess we'll be seeing each other a lot more than what I was anticipating," I said in a low voice.

Edwards smile faltered a little, "It'll be great. You two can do your projects together," Alice boasted.

"Do they even have projects in AP Lit?"

"I'm sure they will," Alice said, excitedly.

The subject of school was dropped and Carlisle started asking Edward questions about playing baseball. I tuned them out and put all my attention on Alice and Esme.

Alice and I were making plans to redecorate my room when a young girl, about my age, approached the table, "Anthony, it's so good to see you. I haven't seen you since school got out for summer."

"Hi, Charlotte," Edward said through gritted teeth.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, good to see you," Charlotte said, glancing between Carlisle and Esme. Then she glanced at Alice, "Alice, nice to see you." Alice nodded.

"Good to see you, Charlotte. How's your parents?" Carlisle asked.

"They're great. We just got back from our trip to Europe." She brought her attention back to Edward, "Anthony, did you get the letters I sent?"

"Um…Charlotte, I go by Edward now, and yes, I did get the letters." I smiled a little at his words. I knew he was only trying to make things easier for me. Although, I hoped he knew he didn't have to change things for me. It does make it easier, though.

Charlotte then glanced over at me. She must have noticed my smile after Edward spoke to her, "And, who do we have here?"

"This is Bella. Edwards girlfriend," piped in Alice.

Charlotte's face fell and I cringed, "Girlfriend?"

Everyone kept quiet and looked over at me, but I didn't say anything. Alice was glutton for punishment…later.

"Yes, she's new to Florida. My dad is her dad's best-friend. She just moved here from Washington to live with her mom," Alice explained. She seemed way too forthcoming with that bit of information.

"Oh, how nice," Charlotte said with a fake smile. She looked over at Edward, "Anthony, can I speak to you, please…privately?"

"Sure," Edward said, pushing back from the table, "Excuse me for a minute. This won't take long."

Edward and Charlotte walked off toward the front exit of the restaurant, "What the hell, Alice? Edwards girlfriend?"

"You will be. Why wait?"

"Mary Alice, I think that was rude and too forward," Esme scolded.

"Mom, Charlotte's a b-word and you know it. She needs to stay away from Edward. She's probably out there yelling at him for God knows what and trying to make him feel guilty for something stupid. You know how much she manipulated him," whined Alice.

Esme placed her hand over Alice's, "Honey, your brother needs to make that decision on his own. You don't need to throw Bella in her face when her and your brother aren't even together."

"Alice, your brother already broke up with her. Just leave it alone," Carlisle said, pushing back from the table, "I'm gonna go pay the bill and check on Edward."

I guess what really surprises me about this family is that, they've taken to calling Anthony, Edward, so easily and all because, that was the way I suggested. They didn't have to, but they do.

I kept my mouth shut about the whole Edward and Charlotte situation. Alice would get my two cents when we got back to my house, but for some reason, I kept wondering what was being said between them. I felt a small twinge of jealousy wash over me. I pushed it away. I didn't want or need to have those feelings. I hadn't even decided to be friends with him…yet.

Carlisle came back with Edward following him, "You ladies ready?"

We nodded and headed out to the car.

Edward was behind me as we walked out. He gently tugged on my elbow to hold me back, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I nodded, looking over to Alice. I put my finger up, asking for a minute.

"I just wanted to tell you that Charlotte and I aren't together. We haven't been for months," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Why are you telling me this?"

He shook his head, "I felt like I needed to tell you. I just...I want...I want..." he stuttered, "I needed you to know that I'm not with anyone."

"Okay, but you're not obligated to me, though. You can be with whoever you want," I said, turning to walk toward the car.

"Bella?" I turned back to him.

"I guess I wanted you to know because I wanna get to know you better, and I'm not interested in anyone else," he said, stepping closer to me.

I sighed, "I still need time, Edward, but thank you for telling me."

He nodded, looking rejected, as we started walking to the car.

We were all quiet on the ride back, aside from Carlisle and Esme talking to each other.

When we got back to my house, Alice and I climbed out, saying goodnight. Edward looked like he wanted to say something, but opted to give us a little wave.

Once we were inside and the door was closed, Alice didn't give me a chance to say anything first, "Look, I know you're pissed at me for telling Charlotte that you're Edwards girlfriend, but I hate that bitch. She's nothing but trouble. All her and Edward did was argue with each other. She was never happy with anything he did. He loves baseball, and she gave him an ultimatum; either quit or it was over between the two, so he chose to end it. He didn't love her. He thought he did in the beginning, but she started to become really possessive over him. She even threw a fit one time when he made plans with our dad."

"Alice, like I told Edward, he's not obligated to me for anything. He's free to be with who he wants. I just asked for time. I'm not sure I could subject myself to anymore heartache. He agreed and I'm asking you for the same thing. And for Gods sake, Alice, please don't tell anyone else that I'm his girlfriend."

"Fine, but you know you will be and I'll be the first to say _I told you so._"

"Alice, please?"

She put her hands up, surrendering to my plea, "Fine."

We changed for bed, putting on a movie.

The rest of the week went really slow. Edward came by on Saturday and all three of us went to the boardwalk. I got to witness first hand just how popular Edward is at school.

Most of the people saying _hello_ to him, were female. I just kept my head down and kept walking, but most of all, Edward seemed to walk rather close to me. I didn't realize how close until Edward went into a trading card store while Alice and I waited outside.

"He's walking pretty close. Anything I should know about?" Alice asked, teasingly.

"No, Alice. It's all him," I retorted.

She gave me a knowing look, "Are you gonna give him a chance?"

I huffed, "Alice, please. I've barely known you two weeks and him one. That's no way enough time for me to make any kind of decision. You and your all knowing self, needs to back off."

"Can I at least ask what he talked to you about back at the restaurant, the other night?"

I sat down on a bench before I answered, "He wanted to assure me that nothing was going on between him and Charlotte."

"And?"

"And, that he's only interested in me." I scooted over on the bench for her to sit, "Another thing, IF I decide and I stress IF I decide to give Edward a chance, he'll be the first to know. I'm not trying to be a bitch and I'm grateful that you and me have become friends, but all of this is new to me. Anthony and I jumped right into our relationship. There wasn't any pursuing or pleading; we just jumped right in. I don't wanna do that with Edward. I think him and I, both, deserve to take our time, especially after what you told me about Charlotte."

"That's understandable." She plopped down next to me, "Now, lets people watch."

Later on that night, we settled into bed after popping in, yet, another movie. An hour into the movie, we were both passed out. The movie was that damn boring.

The next morning, I woke up with Alice's legs stretched out over mine. Somehow, she got completely sideways in the bed. I just shook my head, rolled my eyes and shoved her legs off me. That woke her. She sat straight up like she was possessed. Her hair was all over the place, hanging in her face and sticking up in spots.

"Morning sunshine." She moved her hair out of her face, "I have no clue how you took over the entire bed, but you're a bed hog."

"Sorry," she grumbled, turning around in the bed the right way, "I didn't sleep very well. I kept having visions. The same one over and over."

I got up from the bed, "Should I ask?"

"It was you and Edward or Anthony. I'm not sure, but we were at school. You were having a confrontation with someone, but I couldn't see this persons face," she explained. I gave her an odd look, studying her.

"Male or female?"

"I couldn't see that either," she said, squinting her eyes like she was thinking really hard.

I shook my head, "Ugh...well, when is this suppose to happen?"

"I couldn't really tell, but not very soon. It happens at school so anytime during the school year, I suppose," she replied, plopping back onto the bed.

"That helps a whole lot," I said, sarcastically, "Now I'm gonna be looking over my shoulder all the time."

I really hadn't witnessed Alice's future telling abilities. Other than her telling me that Edward liked me, but then again, he informed me of that, all on his own.

The same goes for her witching powers. She hadn't done anything to further prove she's a witch, but then again, why would she lie about it. Same goes with Esme. So, I guess I didn't have any choice but believe that Alice and Esme were both witches. Edward and Carlisle seemed highly aware of it, too.

Well, what ever happens, happens. There isn't anything I could do about it. Maybe I should seek information about my grades and whether or not, I'll be graduating early. That wouldn't be cheating...would it?

Alice and I got dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. My mom and Phil would be home around one and it was already ten in the morning.

We didn't have anything planned for the day. Alice was leaving to go home before my parents arrived. She claimed she had some stuff to take care of.

That was fine by me. I would at least get a little quiet time to myself before mom and Phil got here.

I'm beginning to love Alice and she's been great company all week. Edward even showed up, unannounced, a few times, but I knew why he came over; to try and get to know me better. He definitely wasn't giving up. I was almost liking his pursuit of me...almost.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm very attracted to Edward and that scares the daylights outta me. I'm afraid of developing a like for him; afraid that my feelings for him would be confused for the love I felt for Anthony. Edward doesn't deserve that. As nice and forthcoming he's been toward me, he deserves to have my undivided attention, but it's taking some time for me to get used to the fact that Edward isn't Anthony.

He doesn't act like him and has a completely different swagger to himself. Again, I'm not gonna lie...I like it.

An hour and a half later, the doorbell rang. I couldn't figure out who would be coming over.

Alice headed upstairs while I answered the door. I glanced out the front window, toward the driveway. Edwards truck was parked behind my car. So much for some peace and quiet.

As I reached to open the door, Alice came tearing down the stairs with her rolling suitcase, making a quick beeline for the door.

The doorbell rang again, but before I opened it, Alice was getting my bitch-brow, "Why such a rush?"

"I told you I had some stuff to do," she retorted, reaching for the doorknob.

"You knew he was coming, didn't you?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "He may have mentioned it last night."

She yanked the door open, "Alice, you're about to get my size seven and a half, up your ass."

"Bye, love you." She hugged me, kissed my cheek and ran for her car.

I looked up at Edward. It was the first time I realized how tall he was. The top of my head, came to his chin. And then the memory of how tall Anthony was, came back to me, "Hi, come on in. I was just making some lunch."

"Hi, yourself. I told Alice I was coming by today. Did she not tell you?" He asked, following me into the kitchen.

I turned to grab a tomato from the fridge. I was making BLT sandwiches, "No, and she's being a little too..."

"Pushy? Yeah, I know. She's always been like that. You can't help but love her for it sometimes," he said, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

"I've known your sister for two weeks and I feel like I've known her my whole life," I said, slicing off the first slice of tomato.

Edward chuckled, "Well, I've known her, her whole life and she's definitely a loved pain in the ass." Edward watched as I put two sandwiches together and placed them on separate plates. I added some macaroni salad and grabbed us both a couple of sodas from the fridge.

"Hope you're hungry. You're eating Alice's lunch considering she had to leave in a hurry." I pushed the plate toward him and walked around the breakfast bar, sitting down next to him.

I figured the least I could do, was sit next to him. I caught a whiff of his scent as I sat down. He smelled like Dark Temptation, from Axe; one of favorites. I smiled up at him, "What?"

"Nothing. I hope you like BLT's," I inquired, picking up my sandwich and taking a huge bite.

"Love 'em." He picked up his sandwich and took a huge bite, "Mmm...Oh...Ma...Gah!" He moaned through his mouth full of food.

I giggled, "You like?"

"Fuck yeah," he said after he swallowed. I wasn't even sure he chewed.

We ate for a few more minutes before my cell phone rang, "Hello."

"_Hey, sweetie."_ My mom. It was so good to hear her voice.

I smiled, "Hey, mom."

"_Listen, Phil and I won't be home today,"_ she said a little too excitedly.

"What?" I screeched into the phone, "I was expecting you today."

"_Sorry, sweetie, Phil and I __decided to stay another two weeks because we don't know_ _when we'll be able to take another vacation. We'll be home the weekend before school_ _starts," _she explained. It sorta pissed me off because I wanted to spend some time with them before we got busy with work and school.

"Fine; I'm sure Alice wouldn't mind hanging out with me. You guys just have fun and be safe, please...okay. I love you," I reluctantly said. I was a little sad, but I understood why they wanted to stay.

"_We love you, too, sweetie. Call Carlisle and Esme if you need anything, okay."_

"Sure, bye." I ended the call just as Edward sat his drink down.

I sighed as he glanced over at me, "Sounds like they're not coming home today."

"You could say that." I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest, "They won't be back until the weekend before school starts."

"Ah." Was all he said and bit into his sandwich.

I felt bummed and grumbled to myself for a couple of minutes before finishing my sandwich. Edward had his gone and was finishing his macaroni salad before I was even halfway through my food. _Can you say...growing boy?_

Edward wiped his face and hands on his napkin, placing it on his cleaned plate, "So, no parentage for two more weeks. Lucky you."

"Yeah, lucky me," I said, impassively.

"You don't sound so happy," he stated, turning in his seat to face me.

I sighed, "I'm just a little upset. I wanted to spend some time with them before school started. I'll be okay, though. I'm sure I could find things to keep myself busy," I halfheartedly complained.

Edward stared at me for a minute before speaking, "Well, if you'll let me, I'd like the opportunity to help occupy your time."

I felt a little nervous all of a sudden. I didn't wanna say the wrong thing and shoot him down on his offer, but a deeper part of me kept nudging me toward him.

"Like today, for instance. I was only gonna stay until your parents got home, buuut..." he trailed off.

"But what?"

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay and hang out with you," he replied, smiling.

"Don't you have a baseball to throw or some weird girls to fight off?" I asked jokingly.

He shook his head, "Not today; it's Sunday," he retorted, getting up from the bar-stool, "C'mon, leave the plates; we'll get them later. Right now, we're hangin' out and getting to know each other," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. He held my hand all the way through the house.

It felt...weird, to say the least, to have a guy holding my hand. It felt good, too. I liked the way his hand felt in mine. It was a little rough from where he plays baseball, but I like it all the same. I noticed over the last week or so, I really did like Edward, but I kept pushing him away. I'm surprised I'm being as comfortable as I am with him here now.

He pulled me over to the couch and gave me a little push to sit down before walking over to the TV and popping in a movie, "What movie?" I asked, hoping it wasn't one of the movies that I absolutely hated or it was so damn boring that it would cause me to fall asleep.

"You'll see," he said, walking back over to me. He grabbed the remote for the TV, adjusting the volume and skipping through all the previews. I smiled watching him because I do the same thing when I'm watching a movie that has fifteen million previews before the actual movie starts.

Edward turned and looked at me, "Okay, this is what we're gonna do. With the volume on mute, we're gonna pretend like we're the characters and say what we wanna say in place of the real words."

"What if I don't like the movie?" I hadn't glanced at the TV yet, to see what was waiting to be played. I was watching him as he splayed a smirk on his face.

"C'mon, I think you'll like it. It'll give us a chance to learn more about each other," he pleaded, replacing his smirk with a heart stopping grin then switched to a pout when I looked at him quizzically, "Please."

"How about we play twenty questions, instead? I'm not so good at role playing, if that's what you call it. I don't watch a whole lot of TV," I counter-offered.

He nodded, "Okay, we'll save the movie for another time. I wasn't really in the mood for _Desperado_, anyway," he agreed. I turned so we were facing each other, "You wanna go first since you suggested it?"

"Sure." I took a second to decide on what to ask first, "Um...why baseball?"

"That's an easy question." He draped his arm along the back of the couch, "I've loved it since I was a kid. Just like Evan. I only hope to make it to the Major Leagues like he did."

I smiled, "I'm sure you will."

"My turn. Um...why'd you decide to move down here...to Florida?"

I shook my head, "You already know some of it."

"I wanna know all of it."

I rolled my eyes at him, thinking, _why the hell not. _We're suppose to be becoming friends, right? "Once I got down here, I realized I didn't have to face seeing places that Anthony and I went or sleep in the same room where we spent so much time together."

"Okay, I'd like to think it was for me," he smiled flirtatiously, "...but I think you already made your decision before you met me."

I chuckled at him, "You're not gonna start pushing, too, like Alice, are you? You could leave, if you are."

His eyebrows shot up, "No, no, geez, you're touchy." He smiled down at me, "Fine, I'll leave the flirting for another time."

"Thank you. Now, besides any Alice interference, why do you wanna get to know me so badly?" I couldn't figure out what has him so intrigued with me. I could understand if it had everything to do with what Alice told me about us being meant to be together, but I honestly can't see what attracts him to me.

"Truthfully?"

I nodded, "That would be nice," I said, sarcastically.

He sighed, "I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but the night you punched my lights out..." His train of thought switched, "Nice right hook, by the way." I smiled over at him, "Anyway, before I turned around after Alice got our attention and saw you..." He trailed off, again, shaking his head.

"Just tell me," I insisted.

He hung his head in embarrassment, "I know this seems weird, but it was like my heart knew you were in the room and the moment I laid eyes on you..." He shook his head, again, "I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen and I had a funny feeling in my stomach. Well, until you punched me then that feeling went away. I was so pissed at you until Alice gave us the short version of why you reacted the way you did. After your dad came back down, I guess, from talking to you, him and your mom were the ones who convinced me to forgive you and try to start over, so that's when I started hounding Alice about you. The weird thing is, after your parents talked to me, that feeling came back and I knew I needed to at least try. And then Alice had to put her two witchin' cents in; telling me that she saw us together and it was meant to be." He sighed heavily, "There you have it. The full truth."

The whole time he was telling me all this, I watched his mouth as he talked. Then I'd look into his eyes and could tell he was being sincere and by the time he was done, I couldn't help but chuckle because once he got to talking, he rushed everything out like it was the only chance he'd get at telling me.

I gave a slight shake of my head, thinking about giving him a chance. He did make me feel a little funny, and right now, I was feeling really comfortable with him. I couldn't explain it. Only a week ago, I wanted to snap his neck because he drew all these unwanted memories back into my head and now, after a week of being around him, my whole perspective of him, was changing. It was what I was trying so hard to fight and hide.

My mind kept screwing with me, though. What if he's kissing me and I get so caught up in the moment and call him Anthony. I've already established a habit of calling him Edward. That would be way too screwed up.

He glanced over at me when I sighed. I honestly didn't know what to say, but I had to say something. I owed that much to him, "What's so funny?"

I shook my head, "Edward," I smiled, "I'm very flattered by everything you said and for being truthful. Can I be completely honest with you?" He nodded, "Okay," I sighed, "My relationship ended with Anthony about five months ago. I'm still feeling hurt by what he did, but then again, when I'm around you, I see that you're completely different than him." I reached forward and took his hand, lacing my fingers with his, "When I've touched you by accident and when you were holding my hand earlier, all sorts of things were telling me that _yes,_ I should go for it. Then I get this evil little bitch sitting on my shoulder telling me, _'What's gonna happen if you accidentally call him Anthony? You_ _already call him Edward?' _That'd be real screwed up if that happened. What if I did that? You don't deserve it. I couldn't do that to you."

He scooted closer to me, on the couch, our knees touching. My left knee was almost laying on top of his. I looked down at where our legs were touching. I then closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

Edward took my other hand and propped them on top of our knees. He sucked in a deep breath. I was sure, to prepare himself to talk, "I like this," he said, raising our hands, placing a kiss on the back of one of my hands. I felt my body heat up from his touch. I smiled, closing my eyes; burning this feeling into my memory.

"I like it, too," I whispered.

"Bella, I completely understand why you're scared and being stand-offish, but could you let me make my own decisions about how I feel? I think I might surprise you. It won't be that big of a deal if you call me Anthony. It is my name after all." He kissed the back of my hand, again. I drew in a shaky breath, "If it happens and bothers me, I'll tell you, okay, but I honestly don't think you would ever do it to upset me."

I could feel my resolve crumbling and a lot faster than what I wanted it to. It was almost like he knew what I wanted and needed him to say. I was a sixteen year old girl whose had one serious boyfriend and now, another guy was pursuing me. The only downside... he looks exactly like my ex-boyfriend. Some would call me crazy for even considering giving Edward a second glance, let alone, a chance at a relationship. I wanted it more now than not wanting it like I did a few days before. I am crazy, but for more than a week, I've fought too hard to keep him at arms length. Not anymore, I need to start living and do what my dad suggested; not let what happened between Anthony and me, rule how I live my life.

I looked up from where our hands were connected, "Fine."

"Fine, what?"

I smiled up at him, feeling my face heat up from my shyness of the situation, "Us, but we need to take everything slow; get to know one another. We could go out and spend time together, but we can't leave Alice out. I don't want her left out."

"Okay. So, no leaving Alice out. We'll start off as friends, right?" I nodded, "That's good, that's good. For now." He smiled mischievously at me.

I couldn't help but smile back.

"What about school?" He asked, looking extra curious.

"What about it?"

"I don't know how I can act around you at school. Can I hold your hand? I know you wanna take things slow, but I really wanna be able to hold your hand." He let go of my hands and scooted a little bit away from me, shaking his head, "Never mind. I'm acting like a possessive boyfriend already and you haven't even agreed to be my girlfriend, yet."

I shook my head at his rambling, "Edward stop. You're not acting possessive, first of all. Second, let's just go with the flow. I don't want your feelings getting hurt if I act hesitant about anything. I'm warming up to you and I won't lie, I'm very attracted to you, but a huge part of me is telling me it's because you look like Anthony. I loved him. I really did and I felt like I was so in love with him and thought he was it for me, but this last week or so, that I've been around you, those feelings I had for him are starting to fade more and more. After the first month of him being gone outta my life, I started feeling less and less for him. I'm almost there and I'll admit, you have a lot to do with it."

Edward had the biggest smile that I've ever seen on his face, "For a sixteen year old, you seem so much older."

"Yeah, I think I grew up quite a bit the second I found out that Anthony was a Vampire." I shook my head, "This is so weird talking to someone about what he and his family are. I never thought...actually I don't know what I thought. Everything's still so surreal to me. Your mom and sister being witches and then there's shape shifting wolves that live around the same area I just moved from. I feel like I'm living in a fairy tale sometimes. Especially lately. I'm just glad you're normal."

"I have my quirks. I'm sure you'll learn all about them over time," he informed me.

I giggled, "Yeah, I've got some too and by the way, I'll be seventeen in September. I'm not too young for you, am I?"

"You're perfect," he replied.

We were silent for a little bit before we decided to go ahead and watch a movie. Not the one he originally put in. We watched _'Fast Five',_ which I absolutely loved. We sat quietly, glancing at each other for the first thirty minutes of the movie, then, I grew some balls and moved closer to him. He wrapped him arm around my shoulder and I snuggle into his chest. I kept having to take deep breaths to try and control the fast pounding of my heart. It was like his touch was causing my pulse to quicken and cause a warmth; a buzzing feeling, to wash over me.

Edward stayed until after dinner. Apparently, he loves my cooking and can't wait to eat more of it. We did make plans to hand out in a couple of days. He needed to get some pitching practice in. He said he'd been neglecting it.

I felt a little awkward when I walked him to the door. I wanted him to hug me or even kiss me, but I remembered that I asked for us to take things slow.

"Can I text you?" He asked when we stepped outside.

"Sure," I replied. We started walking out toward his truck. The awkwardness was becoming more and more.

He turned to face me when we reached the driver side of his truck, "Can I hug you?"

I didn't wanna answer right away, so I pretended to be thinking, tapping my finger on my chin, "Hmmm...I don't know."

He looked a little hurt at first until I stepped forward and snaked my arms around him. He didn't hesitate wrapping his arms around my head. Yeah, I was that short to him.

"Thank you," he said into my hair. I could feel him place a kiss on top of my head.

"What for?" I mumbled into his chest. I couldn't help but sniff him. God, I love his smell. _Dark Temptation._

He squeezed me a little tight, "For everything. Being you, letting me hang out with you today, for letting me hug you right now."

I gave him a little squeeze in return, "You're welcome. I enjoyed your company today and I'm glad we could talk." I squeezed him, again, "And I really like you hugging me."

"Believe me, I really like it, too," he simply stated, "I better go. I wanna be up early and get my practice outta the way. I'll text you when I'm all done," he said, pulling away from me. He slid his hands down my arms until he got to my hands. He laced our fingers together. I was really, really loving his touch.

He kissed the back of my hands before releasing both of them and opening his truck door.

"Have a good practice tomorrow," I said, pushing on his door to close it after he climbed in.

He smiled, "I will. Don't forget to call or text Alice. I'm sure she's going a little crazy about right now."

"I'm sure she is." He started his truck, "Bye, Edward."

"Bye, Bella. I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said before backing away to leave.

I waved before I walked back into the house. A cold chill washed over me before I closed the door. It was a strange feeling, but I ignored it and went inside.

I walked through the whole house, locking up. I was thankful that Edward helped clean up the kitchen after dinner.

Edward was becoming more than I could ever ask for. Yes, I'm young. Seventeen soon, but I feel like I've been through a lifetimes worth of drama. Maybe Alice was right about Edward and I being meant to be, but I kept having a bad feeling about hurting Edward.

My dad said I'd come around. I wondered if giving Edward a chance was what he was talking about.

I had no idea why I kept questioning myself. _Why couldn't I just let things go? _ It's been five months. _Shouldn't that be long enough? Do I still love Anthony? _No, I definitely didn't love him anymore. I actually despise him and now that I think about it, when I look at Edward, I see a completely different person. And I couldn't be more thankful.

I made my way upstairs to my room. I decided to hang out there for the rest of the night.

I changed into my sleep clothes then climbed into bed. I grabbed my phone to call Alice. She'd be banging down my door before too long, if I didn't.

She didn't even let the phone ring twice, _"Took you long enough."_

"Excuse me. I needed to get ready for bed. I wouldn't have forgotten to call." I sighed, "Will you be coming back over? I'm sure Phil called your dad and told him they won't be home for another two weeks."

"_Yeah, tomorrow. I would've come back tonight, but I want__ed to give you and my_ _brother some time together,"_ she said. I could hear some rustling of fabric in the background.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"_I'm getting ready for bed. Sorry; I'll be done in a sec."_ There was more rustling,_ "So, you gonna tell me how things went today? My brother walked in with the biggest shit eating grin, that I've ever seen."_

"I don't know. Maybe he bought a winning scratch ticket on his way home," I said, sarcastically.

I heard her growl at me,_ "Don't give me that load__ of bull. What happened?"_

"First of all, you little sneak. You failed to mention he was even coming over," I said, scolding her.

I heard her giggled,_ "So, you did enjoy his company, after all."_

"As annoying as you are, why can I not stay mad at you?" I huffed, "You saw something happening, didn't you?"

"_Maybe."_

"Maybe?"

"_Yes, maybe. Now, tell me how his visit went. It had to go good enough for 'em to stay over there all day,"_ she simply stated, knowing that if things didn't go well, Edward would have been home hours before.

I sighed, "It went well enough. I decided to give 'em a chance. We're starting as friends, though. If things go further, then he'll be the first to know."

I could hear her clapping, _"Yay! It'll go further and sooner than ya know."_

"Alice," I growled at her.

"_Yeeesss,"_ she sing-songed.

"What am I gonna do with you?"

She giggled,_ "Be my best-friend and future sister in-law."_

"Can we please not talk about marriage. I'm only sixteen, Alice," I stated, yanking my blanket back to crawl under it.

"_Soon to be seventeen. Don't forget," _she reminded me.

"How could I? I'm sure you'll be reminding me," I complained. And she would. I'd probably get an invitation in the mail to my own party.

We finished our conversation with her promising to see me the next day.

I wouldn't know what to do without her in my life now. She's become a permanent fixture in such a short time.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. If I can get the chapters typed up faster, then there will be more frequent updates, otherwise, See you next week.**

**Hope everyone has a great weekend. **

**~Stephanie~**


	8. Chapter 8

**First update for this week. **

**Enjoy! **

**SM owns Twilight. I do not.**

**Update:8/14/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 8**

**BPOV**

* * *

Alice did come over the next day. After she got settled in, again, we kept ourselves pretty busy. We went to the boardwalk and hung out at the pool, a lot.

Edward and I hung out a few days later. Alice made plans with her mom so that she didn't have to be at the house by herself while Edward and I were out.

Edward was taking me on a date. He claimed he wanted to prove he wasn't like anyone else. I knew who he was talking about, but I never questioned him about it or why he felt he needed to prove otherwise. I was a little nervous, but because of all the time that we've spent together recently, my nervousness wasn't that bad. He had no reason to impress me.

He took me to a nice dinner that turned out to be delicious. Afterward, we walked along the boardwalk. We held hands and talked, telling each other about a lot of stuff we did as kids and asked more and more questions about each other. I was learning so much about him. That wall I had built up, was pretty much all the way down. I was opening up to him and told him about what happened in California and what led to me going to live with my dad in Washington. He was pretty surprised that I could kick his ass if I needed to and promised not to piss me off...too much. I only laughed at him.

The whole time Edward and I were gone, I kept getting an eerie feeling that I was being watched. I was constantly looking over my shoulder and all around us, but I never saw anything or anyone that would cause that feeling. I'd make sure to ask Alice if she'd had any visions.

A week and a half flew by. Edward and I were growing closer and closer. I was getting more comfortable than ever around him. We even touched and flirted more.

We were constantly doing something; keeping ourselves busy. Alice and I even went to watch Edward practice a couple of times. I was pretty impressed and promised to attend all of his games.

I was planning to make dinner for all of us. I was wanting to make a roasted chicken, roasted veggies and chocolate volcano cake for desert.

Alice and I were making a trip to the grocery store, early, so that I could get the cake done first.

Edward was coming over after his practice to spend some more time with us. I was pretty anxious to see him and it was getting like that everyday. I felt like the school girl that I am, when it came to him. I silently jumped up and down when I knew he was coming over. I wasn't ready to tell Alice because I didn't want to hear her say, _I told you so._

While Alice and I were at the store, Alice pushed the cart while I had the list in my hand. I didn't want to be there any longer than I needed to be.

We were half way through our trip when Alice was stopped by someone. Apparently, a classmate from school.

Alice introduced me to the girl. I had seen her before when I went to the boardwalk with my dad. She was the girl that I saw Edward with. The one that kept looking at him like he was the last man on earth.

"This is Bella," Alice said, gesturing toward me. "She'll be new this year. A Junior, same as us." Alice smiled over at me. "She's making dinner for me and Edward tonight. She's such a great cook and Edward can never eat enough of it."

The girl looked at Alice, quizzically. "Who's Edward?"

Obviously, the girl didn't know too much about Edward if she didn't even know what his middle name is.

"My brother, silly," Alice replied.

Recognition crossed the girls face. "Anthony?"

"Yes. He goes by Edward now," Alice explained.

"Since when?" The girl looked confused. I instantly didn't like her and glad that I already forgot her name.

Alice smiled wickedly. "Since a couple of weeks ago. Bella prefers to call him Edward, so that's what we call him now."

Confusion crossed the girls face as she looked over at me. "Ah." Was all she said, eying me from head to toe. "All because you prefer to call him that? How enlightening," she said, sarcastically.

"Yup." Alice ignored her tone. "Okay, gotta go. See ya at school, Monday."

Alice grabbed my hand, pushing the cart along with us. "God, she's so annoying."

"Didn't you tell me she had a huge crush on Edward?" I asked, not really caring, but my curiosity got the better of me. Yeah, I was a little jealous that all these girls were fawning over Edward, but I knew he liked me and was trying his damnedest to get together with me.

"Did I just hear a little jealousy in your tone?" She asked teasingly, narrowing her eyes at me.

"N...no," I stuttered, but I knew Alice didn't believe me. She shook her head as we continued to walk through the produce section. She never said anything else about it, although, I knew it was eating at her to say more.

We finished the shopping, grabbing some extra snacks for us later.

For some reason, I kept wondering if Alice even had any other friends. She seemed to have that friendly aura about herself, but then again, maybe she didn't have any other friends because she didn't want anyone to know about her being a witch. _What made me so different from everyone else?_

I glanced over at her while we were loading the conveyer belt. "Alice, can I ask you a personal question?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"Don't you have any other friends? I mean, friends that you like?"

She gave me a dumbfounded look. "You sick of me already?"

"No, that's not why I'm asking. We've sorta been inseparable since that first day we met. I kinda feel like I'm keeping you from your other friends," I explained, watching her for her reaction.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I have a few, but I don't know...I like hangin' out with you more."

"You can't blow them off all the time because of me," I said, pleading with her to spend more time with her other friends, too.

She smiled at me. "It's okay. We've all been friends since Kindergarten. We never really do anything, anyway. I think they like hangin' out with me because of my brothers," she explained, shrugging her shoulders, yet again. "I think of you as my BFF anyway. I know you're not using me to try and get to my brothers."

She was entirely right. Alice was my best-friend before I even decided to give Edward a chance. Edward wasn't even an issue before this past week.

We made it back to my house, unscathed because I drove. I was serious when I told her I would never ride with her, again, unless it was absolutely necessary. She just stuck her tongue out at me, feigning defeat. That seemed to be her only defense.

I got the cake baked and ready. I would need to heat it up later for the full effect of the lava part. It was best warmed up so the chocolate oozed out and even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I prepared the chicken to roast around two o'clock. It would take a few hours to get it to perfection. Thank goodness for counter-top roasters. It was easier to keep an eye on it that way. And less messy.

Edward showed up around four o'clock. He had made a habit of kissing me on the temple when he greeted me. I expected it each time. I was hoping that one day, it would be my lips he kissed, instead.

Dinner was ready by six o'clock. We ate and joked around a lot. They told me stories of how it was growing up together. Some stuff I already knew from the times Edward and I talked, but I loved hearing them, again. It was funny, though. I expected it to be Edward that always picked on Alice because he was older, but it was the other way around. Alice was always playing jokes on him and setting booby-traps. Times like those, I wished I had a brother or sister to share stuff with.

Throughout dinner, I kept making small glances toward Edward. I still felt a little awkward around him. Especially in front of Alice, but once we got to talking, I warmed up around him. More than anything, I wanted all the awkwardness to go away.

Edward left around eleven o'clock that night. Like all the other times, I walked him out to his truck. I actually grasped his hand as we walked out. It felt good to touch him.

"Thank you for dinner. It was delicious; as usual," he said, turning toward me as we reached the driver side of his truck.

I smiled up at him. "You're welcome. I love cooking and glad that I've had someone to cook for while my mom and Phil are away."

"You seem pretty excited about your mom and Phil getting home this weekend," he queried, reaching out and taking my other hand.

"Yeah, I am. I'm glad they got this time to themselves, though. They deserved it," I replied, plastering a huge smile on my face.

He reached up and tucked some stray hair behind my ear. "You nervous about school starting on Monday?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I'll have you and Alice there, unless you're too popular to pay attention to the new girl," I said, teasingly. "So, I'll be fine unless you decide to ignore me because you're a Senior, after all," I said jokingly.

"Not on your life. I'm excited about this year because you'll be there," he said, reassuringly, caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers.

I could feel my cheeks heat up from the intimacy of his touch.

I placed my hand over his. "I think maybe I might like the idea walking hand in hand with you, at school."

"Oh, yeah?" I nodded, answering his question. "You sure you'll be okay with that?" He asked, sounding a little surprised at my statement.

"Yes. I just want all this awkwardness that I'm feeling, to pass. I need it to go away. The more I'm around you, the more it disappears and I just need to stop dwelling on the past. Girls get heartbroken all the time and are over it quicker than me, but I'm not heartbroken, anymore," I said, pulling his hand from my face and lacing our fingers together.

"You'll get there. I'm hoping that the more time passes that I'll have a lot to do with it. I want an Us, but I refuse to push it," he said, stepping closer to me.

I looked up at him. "Thank you. You definitely have a lot to do with mending my broken heart."

Edward released my hands and placed them on my hips. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling.

When I opened them, he was staring down at me. My heart started pounding, furiously. _ Was he gonna kiss me?_

He brushed the back of his hand across my cheek, again. _ Was I ready for him to kiss me? Did I want him to kiss me? _ Hell, yes, I did.

I nuzzled my face into his hand. The warmth of it raced down my neck, spreading across my entire chest. "I wanna kiss you, so bad."

"What's stopping you?" The words flew from my mouth on their own accord. My mind raced, trying to figure out where that courage came from.

He pulled me closer, cupping my cheek with one hand, while the other was still on my hip. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine. I was a goner in that moment. I felt like I was on the verge of an out of body experience.

I wrapped my arms around him and tilted my head to the side to deepen the kiss.

Without hesitance, I opened my lips to welcome in his tongue. The warmth of his tongue and his taste, only tripled the butterflies in my stomach to an uncountable amount.

We kissed slowly; our breathing picking up, quickly.

Edward slipped the hand that was on my cheek, around to the base of my neck, pulling me closer to him.

I had never been kissed so passionately before, and as wrong as it sounds at this moment, I compared him to Anthony.

They were definitely not the same person...that was for damn sure.

Slowly, I pulled away, ending our kiss. I pressed my forehead to his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me.

"I can't wait for many more of those," he whispered before placing a kiss to the top of my head.

"That was pretty incredible," I simply stated, a smile spreading from ear to ear, across my face.

I heard him hum. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm a goner."

Edward chuckled. My forehead feeling the vibrations from his chest. "I am, too," he sighed. "And as much as I'd rather stay here and kiss you all night, I gotta go. Evan's meeting me at the field to help me out with some pitches."

"That's fine. Will you text me?"

"Of course." He leaned back, moving his head down and pressed his lips to mine, letting them linger. We didn't deepen it, knowing that if we did, he'd never leave. He pulled back. "Count on it."

Edward climbed up into his truck, starting it. He blew me a kiss before backing away. I smiled, swooning over him.

After that heart-stopping kiss we shared, I knew I was very close to falling in love with Edward. Anthony was becoming nothing but a figment of my imagination. Just like he never existed and just the way I wanted him to be.

I walked in the front door and the wind was knocked out of me by Alice pouncing on me. "I saw you! I saw you! Gosh, I'm so excited."

"Alice, what exactly did you see?" I asked, knowing her nosy little self was spying on Edward and me.

She giggled, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the kitchen. We sat down at the table before she spoke. She smiled and patted me on the knee like she was about to lecture me. "I saw you two swapping spit."

I smiled, blushing from embarrassment. I wasn't going to deny one of the best kisses I had ever received. "So tell me...how was it."

I turned away from her to compose myself before speaking. "Oh, I don't know except..." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "...it-was-the-best-damn-kiss-I-ever-had," I said, too quickly and too excitedly. "As excited as I am right now, I don't care that this should be too weird for me to talk to you about this because he's your brother."

"It is weird, but I don't care," she said. "I have to live vicariously through someone. Brother or not, that kiss looked pretty intense."

I whispered. "It made my toes curl."

Alice squealed, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. "I know you don't wanna know, but I saw it happening and I wanted to see if tonight was the night. That's why I spied on you, two."

"Yeah, I don't wanna know anything unless it's important. Thanks for not telling me before hand," I said, getting up from my seat and walking over to the sink. I needed to get the kitchen cleaned up before we went to bed. I didn't want mom and Phil coming home to a messy kitchen.

"You're welcome," she said, getting up from her seat. "Here, let me help. We'll get it done quicker."

When I checked my phone before bed, I had a text from Edward letting me that he made it home, safely.

I replied back telling him that I couldn't wait to see him, again. I was done with the awkwardness and trying not to get close to him because I wanted him and I wanted him, badly.

By the time Alice and I were done cleaning up the kitchen, we climbed into bed about one in the morning. Mom and Phil were due home around noon the next day and I couldn't wait to see them.

* * *

**A/N: Welllllll? Let me know what you think.**

**And as far as updates, I'll definitely only being doing one or two updates a week. I just got a job after not working for five and a half years. I'll be working around a lot of jewelry for Jewelry Television. Check out their website. . You might find something you like. I use to work for them before and lucky that I was able to be rehired.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**~Stephanie~**


	9. Chapter 9

**This isn't beta'd and won't be. Loopylou992 did pre-read for me, though. THANK YOU! If you don't care for unbeta'd work, then this story isn't for you.**

**SM owns and deserves all the credit for these awesome charaters. **

**Updated: 8/17/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 9**

**BPOV**

* * *

I woke up feeling pretty excited. My mom and Phil were coming home and I couldn't wait to hear about their trip.

Alice left about ten o'clock. This time, I knew she didn't play any tricks.

All night, I kept having dreams of Edward, well, so I thought they were of Edward until I woke up just before Anthony sunk his teeth into my neck.

He kept telling me I was his and he was coming for me. I didn't know what the hell the dream meant, but I sure as hell hoped it never comes true. If I never seen Anthony again, it'd be too soon.

Around twelve-thirty, my mom and Phil came barreling through the door. I heard mom before I saw her. "Isabella! We're home!"

I jumped up as fast as I could and rushed to greet them. I jumped, wrapping my arms around moms neck. "I'm so happy you're home. I missed you guys."

"We missed you, too, honey. Phil will be in, in a sec. He's grabbing the luggage," mom explained before I could ask where he was.

Phil came stumbling in, dragging two large suitcases, behind him. Mom grabbed one before they both headed upstairs to unpack.

I decided to make a quick lunch from the left overs from dinner the night before. It didn't take long to warm everything up.

Phil came sauntering into the kitchen before mom. "Hey, you," he said, walking over to me, grabbing me up into a hug.

"Hey, I made some lunch. Hope you're hungry." I turned toward the breakfast bar, waving my hand across the food that I spread out to eat. "Dig in. It's left overs from dinner last night."

"I'm starving. We didn't have time for breakfast this morning and the food on the plane wasn't fit for a dog, to eat." Phil sat down and grabbed one of the plates that I had set out. He started piling the food. I had completely removed the rest of the chicken from the bone, making it easier and faster to serve.

I grabbed a plate, also, but I wasn't quite as hungry as Phil.

Mom joined us about ten minutes later. "Wow. You made all this?"

"It's our left overs from dinner last night," I said, handing her a plate.

"Did you cook like this the whole time we were gone?" Mom asked as she grabbed a few chunks of the chicken.

I shook my head. "We went out a few times and ordered in. Edward was here a lot, too, so we weren't always by ourselves," I explained, not making eye contact because I knew the questions were coming and I didn't want to give anything away from the embarrassed flush that crossed my cheeks.

"Edward?" Phil asked and I nodded. "Should we ask?"

"If you want. I don't have anything to hide," I said, smiling down toward my plate.

Mom sat down next to me. "I'm assuming you're okay with being around him?"

I nodded. "Yes, more than okay," I said quietly. "We're sorta seeing each other."

Phil choked on his food and mom spewed her drink across the counter. I chuckled at them. "What? You two are reacting like you didn't expect it."

"Actually, we didn't. After your reaction toward him at the reception, we thought he had a death wish," Phil said, raising his eyebrows at me.

I went on to explain everything that happened over the last three weeks. I told them how I made the decision to give Edward a chance. Of course I couldn't leave out the part where Alice kept butting in, pushing for Edward and me to spend time together.

They told me I was old enough to make my own decisions as far as relationships, but to please be careful.

For the rest of the day, we lounged around. Phil walked around outside to make sure the landscapers did their job correctly. I didn't pay attention whether or not they did. My mind was on other things. Like a tall, tanned, sexy man.

That night, when I climbed into bed, I sent Alice a quick text, saying good night. She sent a text back telling me _'sweet dreams'._

Edward was next. I couldn't stop thinking about him.

_You asleep yet? -B_

_Nope -E_

_I wanted to say goodnight. -B_

_You happy that your mom and Phil are home?__ -E_

_Yes. Very. I told them we were seeing each other. My mom spit her drink all over and Phil choked on his food. -B_

_Really? LMFAO! That's priceless. Wish I could have seen that. -E_

_It was pretty funny. They told me to be careful. -B_

_I will definitely be very careful with you. I don't want my ass kicked. -E_

_Ha Ha. Do you have plans tomorrow? -B_

_Nope -E_

_Wanna come over? -B_

_I thought you'd never ask. What time? -E_

_How about lunch time. I'll cook. -B_

_You had me at LUNCH! – E_

_I see how you are. You only like me for my cooking. - B_

_Not on your life. That's only the bonus. Excellent food. -E_

_~Blushes~ B_

_Glad to see I have that effect of you. -E_

_You effect me in more ways then one. -B_

After pressing send, I couldn't believe I just admitted that to him. If he saw me now, my face would be fire engine red.

_Nice to know. –E_

_Okay. I'm gonna go to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late. -B_

_Not a chance. Goodnight Bella. See you tomorrow. -E_

_Nite Edward. -B_

I laid my cell phone down on the nightstand, then snuggled down into bed. I had a huge smile on my face. Then out of nowhere, Anthony's face popped into my head. My heart sank, thinking about how I would ever get over the fact that Edward and Anthony look almost identical. I'd have to find a way to convince myself that Anthony never existed. Edward needed to be the only face I saw in my mind.

I woke up bright and early the next morning. I was lucky to have a dreamless sleep.

I was a little anxious for Edward to come over. Alice had sent me a text, telling me she was taking my advice and visiting another friend. That made me happy. I didn't want her to feel like she had to devote all her free time to me.

I walked into the kitchen and mom was mixing a fruit smoothie in the blender. It looked delicious. "Good morning, sweetie. Want some?"

"Morning." I nodded. "Yes, I want some. That looks good."

"It is. We drank a lot of them while we were in Barbados," she said before getting a glass and pouring me some.

I glanced up at her after taking my first sip. "Gosh, that's good."

"Mhm...Phil loves 'em, too," she said before she took a huge gulp of her smoothie.

"Where's Phil, anyway?" I hadn't seen him since I came downstairs.

She sat her glass down and turned toward the fridge. "Oh, he's out meeting up with Carlisle." She waved her hand, rolling her eyes. "Something about golf." She chuckled. "Boys and their balls."

I nearly choked on my smoothie when she said that. "Mom!"

"What? It's true," she giggled. She pulled some fresh fruit from the fridge and started cutting it up, making a fruit salad. "If it isn't baseball, it's golf."

I giggled at her. "Hey, you don't mind if Edward comes over to hang out, do you? I told him I'd make lunch." I knew she wouldn't mind, but I wanted to make sure she didn't have any other plans for us.

She smiled. "I don't mind. What's for lunch?"

"I haven't decided yet. I thought fajitas, maybe. I'm not sure if Edward even likes them. So far he eats anything I make," I said, getting up from my seat and walking to the fridge. I needed to make sure I had all the ingredients to make our lunch.

After looking to see what I needed, I had to make a trip to the grocery store. I didn't have any onions or small tortillas. While I was at the store, I wanted to make sure I got a desert for us, as well.

"I need to run to the store. Was there anything you wanted me to get while I was there?" I asked, grabbing a pen and piece of paper to make a quick list.

"No, but what's on the menu for dinner? I'm sure Edward will still be around then," she said, smiling at me teasingly. I smiled back, knowing she's probably right. "How're you coping with that anyway? You seem like you're pretty okay."

I nodded. "It's getting better. I think the more I'm around him, the easier it is for me. I'm trying my hardest to ignore the fact that they look just like each other." I knew she understood who I was talking about. That's why I wasn't using any names.

I sighed. Before I knew what I was doing, my mouth started talking. "Edward kissed me last night before he went home," I whispered.

Moms eyebrows rose up. "Oh, really?" She asked, sounding enthused about my admittance.

"Yeah," I said, closing my eyes, remembering the way his lips felt on mine. How warm they felt and when he pushed his tongue inside my mouth...

Mom giggled, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Look at you," she exclaimed. "You're all dreamy. Love does that to you."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't call it love, mom. We just started seeing each other. We're taking things slow. I definitely feel something for him, though." I slumped back in the chair I sat in, to write out my list. "Do you think maybe I'm rushing into things with him? I mean, do you think it might be too soon for another relationship for me?"

Mom walked over and sat down next to me. She grabbed both of my hands. "Oh, honey. You're young. Love comes and goes throughout your life. A lot of girls your age, are usually on to the next boyfriend the following week after a break-up. You'll know if you're making the right decision. You'll know it here," she said, pointing toward my heart. "...but if you keep questioning yourself about your relationship with Edward, then maybe you shouldn't even give it a shot."

She was right and I couldn't deny that. If I continued to question myself about my relationship with Edward, then I needed to back off. I needed to pull my head out of my ass and look at the bigger picture. If Alice was right by telling me that she saw Edward and I, together, then I needed to let the chips lie where they fall.

It was time for me to put my big girl panties on and go with the flow. If Edward wanted to hold my hand at school, I'll let him. If he wanted to kiss me in front of the whole world to see, I'll let him. I have to stop shying away. I need to stop acting like it was all about me. It's been almost six months since _he_ walked out of my life. It's time for me to start living like he doesn't affect me anymore.

"You're right. I do need to stop questioning my relationship with Edward and see him for who he is and not who he looks like." I got up from my chair, leaned over and hugged my mom. "Thank you for helping me see things the way I should."

"That's what I'm here for, sweetie. You can come to me about anything. Phil and I are both here for you," she informed me. "Now get to the store and get some food for that guy of yours."

I grabbed my grocery list, my car keys from the peg and my purse by the door and headed out.

I felt so much lighter after talking to my mom. I had a little pep to my step now as I walked out to my car. The smile on my face, felt permanent.

I made it to the store and started throwing stuff in my cart. List be damned.

I was headed down the freezer aisle when I heard someone call my name. I turned to find Esme walking toward me. "Esme, hi," I said, excitedly.

"Bella, it's so good to see you," she said, pulling me into a tight hug.

"It's good to see you, too. You here by yourself?"

She giggled. "You think I can get any of them to come with me? My son and daughter are sleeping the day away and Carlisle's off playing golf with Phil."

"That's right, mom told me Phil and Carlisle were out playing golf. Did they drag Evan along, too?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah, they're getting caught up on guy stuff. I guess they decided to torture poor Evan. Carlisle couldn't get Anthony up, to go." She smiled up at me. "So, are you here by yourself?"

I didn't let it bother me that she called Edward, Anthony. He is her son, after all. "Yup. Just grabbing some stuff for lunch and dinner. Edward's coming over for lunch. He only likes me for my cooking," I said, jokingly.

Esme giggled. "He is a growing boy." She draped her arm across my shoulders. "Alice tells me that you and Anthony are seeing each other, now." She queried, with a huge toothy grin. "I did notice him being all giddy and happy like a little school girl."

"Yeah, mom said something similar about me."

"Well, regardless of any vision that Alice has had, I think you two will be good together," she conveyed, placing her hand on my forearm after she removed it from my shoulder. Then her facial expession dropped. "I'm so sorry. I can't seem to stop calling him Anthony."

"No, it's fine. He's your son. You don't need to apologize. It's hard to change calling him something different. You don't have to do that for me."

She smiled slightly at me. "Well, I want to do it for you. You're making him happy."

I smiled at her. "Thank you. It took him a couple of weeks to convince me to give him a chance, and today, my mom helped me see that I was questioning stuff too much. You know all the gory details and what I went through, but mom made me see that I can't compare the two situations and she made me realize that if I kept questioning what Edward and I have, then it would be pointless to continue trying. She was right, of course."

"Yes, we mothers tend to know these things." Esme smiled and rubbed my arm.

I reached out and hugged her, again. "Well, I need to get my stuff so I can feed your son. It was really great seeing you."

"Okay, sweetie. You be careful and we'll see you soon." She pulled back from the hug. "Tell your mom hello for me."

"I will. See ya later," I said, turning and walking back over to look at the frozen fruit.

Honestly, her name slip, didn't bother me and surprisingly, I didn't flinch at the name.

I finished up my shopping and hurried back home. I had an hour before Edward was due to show up.

I quickly got the onions and peppers all cut up. I then moved on to get the chicken cut into strips.

The doorbell rang about thirty minutes into my preparations. Mom and Edward appeared through the kitchen archway, moments later.

"Your company's here," mom sing-songed.

"Will you be joining us for lunch, mom?"

"Nope. I'm heading out to have lunch with a colleague," she said, smiling mischievously.

"Okay. Have fun. We're just hangin' out here. We'll probably go swimming and watch a movie after lunch," I said, returning her smile.

Mom walked over and gave me a hug. She whispered in my ear. "You two behave."

"Mom!" I whisper-yelled.

She moved as quick as she could, away from me. "Bye, you two."

Edward walked over and sat at the breakfast bar. He was smiling like he knew something that I didn't, but I played stupid and didn't say anything.

"I ran into your mom at the store this morning," I told him, turning to retrieve a skillet to start cooking.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, she told me. She really does like you, you know."

"That's nice. I really like your mom, too. She strikes me as a really down to earth person," I replied back, pouring a little canola oil into the hot pan.

"Yeah, she is. She's really great," he said, smiling. He stood up from his seat. "Can I grab a drink?"

I waved my hand toward the fridge. "Sure. Help yourself."

Edward walked to the fridge and before I knew what was happening, he had his arms wrapped around me, leaning me back and placing an open-mouth kiss on my neck. "I thought she'd never leave."

I could barely breathe. My heart rate was skyrocketing, practically cracking my sternum. If my heart was reacting this viciously over a kiss to my neck, I'd be afraid to have a heart attack if he were to kiss me anywhere else.

"I uh...I uh..." I stammered. I couldn't even get a coherent sentence from my mouth.

He started kissing my neck, along my jaw, my chin, the other side of my jaw, up to my ear and finally, he placed his lips against mine. That was definitely a lot of kisses.

I could feel myself begin to shake from nervousness. I was sure Edward could feel it, too, especially when he pulled back, standing us up straight and looking at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just...I don't know. You caught me off guard. I'm sorry." I tried to explain, but honestly, I didn't have a solid explanation. Stupid, I know. I had never had affection like that before. Anthony was always so serious and right to the point. Talking and very little joking, was our forte. We never played around for fun, although, that was more on Emmett's side. He was more of the jokster.

"No, no. I'm the one who should be sorry. You're not ready for something like that, right now. It's okay. We're supposed to be taking things slow and I got carried away. We can pretend I didn't do that and I'll..." He pointed toward the chair. "...go sit down and watch you cook."

He moved back from me to go sit down and on instinct, I reached out and grabbed his hand. "No." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Neither one of us said anything for a couple of minutes, so I reached over and turned the burner off on the stove. Our lunch could wait until I knew everything was okay.

I pulled him toward me and wrapped my arms around him. I placed my head on his chest, hearing his heart pounding furiously. "I'm not used to attention like that," I said, squeezing him slightly. "I really liked it. You may have to do it more often so I could get used to it."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind." We were quiet for a few minutes, just hugging each other. He pulled back and smiled. "How 'bout that lunch? What'cha makin'?"

"Fajitas. Hope you like 'em," I said, stepping over to the stove to turn it back on. "Have a seat. Watch and learn."

Edward grabbed a drink from the fridge and sat down. He seemed very interested in watching me cook. I kept stealing glances at him and each time, it was like my heart skipped a beat. I wasn't sure if it were a medical problem or not, but the boy sure had my heart doing some crazy shit.

When I finished the fajita mixture, I popped the tortillas in the microwave to warm them up. Edward looked anxious to start eating.

I placed the platter of food in front of our plates and grabbed the tortillas from the microwave. "You want some sour cream and guacamole?"

"Sure, whatever you got. It all looks great." He started loading up a couple of tortillas with the mixture. "Have you ever thought of goin' to culinary school?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I sat down next to him. "No, I haven't really thought much about college, but I've got time, right?"

"I suppose," He paused for a few seconds. "So, you don't have a career choice in mind? A life long dream job?"

"Nah. Not really. I do enjoy to cook, though and photography. That's the only thing I've actually thought about going to school for, but my interest in it has somewhat disappeared. I'll have to think about culinary school, though. You might be on to something, there," I said, reaching across his plate to grab the salsa I had sat closer to him. My hand brushed his arm in the process and I smiled because I didn't cringe away.

I guess it all really was just a mental thing.

During our lunch, we talked more about college. I knew Edward wanted to be a professional baseball player, but I also learned that he wanted to major in business just in case his baseball career didn't pan out the way he was planning it to.

"What kind of business are you interested in?" I asked as we stood by the sink, cleaning up our dishes from lunch. I was rinsing while he loaded them into the dishwasher.

"I really haven't thought about it, although, I wouldn't mind being in something that involves baseball. A manager maybe. I'll have to think more about it," he replied as he loaded the last dish. He motioned for me to move away from the sink so he could get the dishwasher soap from underneath it.

I moved out of the way and smiled down at him. "I think you'd make a great businessman."

He chuckled at me. "Businessman?"

"Yeah, well, you haven't exactly thought about what line of business, so businessman it is until then," I said as I turned to drape the dish towel over the handle of the stove.

Edward caught me off guard by wrapping his arms around me from behind. "I think I can handle doing this more often."

I placed my hands on top of his. "Yeah, I kinda like it." I turned in his arms and looked up at him. "Actually, I really like it."

"Good because I'll be doing it a lot." He leaned down and placed a light kiss on my lips, but I felt a sudden urge to deepen it.

I snaked my arms up around his neck, sliding my fingers through his hair at the back of his head, pulling him closer.

He took my subtle hint and we deepened our kiss.

I felt him open his mouth, easing his tongue inside mine own. The feeling was almost overwhelming, but I reveled in it.

It was soft and slow to start, but turned into frantic and wanting, shortly after.

He eased me back until my lower back hit the counter.

I moaned when he pushed his hardness into my stomach. The butterflies that occupied it, multiplied by the thousands.

Without breaking our kiss, he knelt down and wrapped his hands around the back of my thighs, lifting me up and placing me on the counter. I opened my legs further when he eased himself between them.

He smoothed his hands over the top of my thighs until he reached my hips, pulling me until I could feel where my body was wanting him most.

I was definitely not ready to go that far...just yet.

He pushed his pelvis into me and my whole body caught fire. A moan, from deep within me, released itself from my throat.

Edward pushed into me, again; my resolve completely shattering.

I pulled away from our kiss. "Oh, God." He started traveling kisses along my jaw and down to my neck. I could feel him licking and lightly sucking at my skin.

I moved my head to the side to give him better access. "We need to stop."

"I know, but I don't want to," he whispered into my throat.

"We have to. What if my mom or Phil comes home?"

"Let them," he retorted.

I pushed him away from me. "Edward," I scolded.

He chuckled at me. "I know. I'm sorry. We'll stop." I eye-balled him. "I'll stop." He held his hands up in surrender. "Look, I know we're not ready for that yet and I'm sorry. I got a little carried away," he expressed, reaching up and placing both of his hands on each side of my neck. "Don't get me wrong..." He nodded his head. "I definitely want to, but I promise we'll take it slow. I just..." He trailed off and stepped away from me, leaning up against the island and clasping his hands together in front of the bulge in his shorts.

"Just what?" I asked, not really knowing where this conversation was turning. We were embraced with each other one minute and the next, we're diving head first, into a serious talk.

He shook his head. "I want you to know that I've never...done anything before."

I hopped down off the counter and stood in front of him. I reached out to take his hands and accidentally grazed his erection with my fingers. He hissed, squeezing his eyes shut and growling at me. "I'm sorry."

"I'm fine," he whispered, his eyes still shut.

I quietly giggled. I laced our fingers together and stepped closer to him, staying a few inches away from him so I didn't touch his hard situation.

He opened his eyes and looked down at me. I tilted my head to the side, giving him a small smile. "So...you've never...?"

He shook his head at me, feigning embarrassment. "No."

"Neither have I," I admitted.

His eyes grew wide. "You haven't? I mean...I thought..."

I shook my head at him. "No. I'm still a virgin and now I'm assuming you are, too. Am I correct?"

He let out a deep sigh. "Yes, but please don't say that word, again. I hate it. I mean, look at me. I'm eighteen. Most guys my age have had sex at least a hundred or more times."

"Are you seriously complaining about this?" I smiled at him, shaking my head.

"No." He shook his head in defeat.

"Well..."

He cut me off. "Can we talk about this some other time? I really need to get my mind off sex."

I giggled. "Yeah." I rose up on my tip toes and kissed him. "Lets go take a walk on the beach."

My mom came walking in when we came around the corner from the kitchen. "Hey kids."

"Hey, mom. We were about to head down to the beach. How was lunch?"

"It was good. How was yours?" She eyed me suspiciously.

I smiled. "It was great, actually. There's some left overs in the fridge." I walked over and kissed her cheek. "We're heading out. I have my cell if you need me."

"Okay, see you two in a bit," she said as she headed into the kitchen.

I grabbed Edwards hand. "C'mon."

When we made it down to the beach, I stopped and slipped my flip-flops off.

Our walk along the beach was completely cliched. We each had our shoes, carrying them and holding hands. We would catch side glances of each other as we walked, enjoying each others presence.

We made it about a mile down the beach and decided to stop at one of the vendors for a drink.

"We'll have two bottled waters, please," Edward requested from the very, overly tanned, woman behind the cart. He pulled his wallet out and handed the lady a ten dollar bill. "Keep the change."

We walked away after we took our waters and I couldn't get the smile off my face. "What's got you so smiley?"

"You."

"What about me?"

I stopped and turned, standing right in front of him. "You amaze me."

He placed his free hand on my hip. "How so?"

"In the short time I've known you, I've noticed how unselfish you are." I smiled. "Like what you just did; you gave that woman a seven dollar tip."

He chuckled. "Yeah, well, some people are actually trying to make an honest living. She could have charged us three dollars for the water, but she didn't and I could tell she's just trying to be fair. She probably just made a fifty cent profit on both bottles."

"See, there's the businessman in you, coming out," I said, teasingly.

"C'mon, let's head back." He leaned down and gave me a small peck on my lips. "I'm in the mood for a swim and not in the ocean."

* * *

**A/N: I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who reads my stuff and for giving me a chance. I do this because I like it. I choose to do it without a beta. I have no particular reason as to why, I just don't. My opinion, the plot makes the story and if it makes sense and you can undestand it without worrying whether or not there's a missing coma or a mispelled word, then no one should care, but some people do. And I appreciated one of my readers pointing out where I've flubbed. I thanked her and now know to look better as I write. All I have to say is...if my stories don't appeal to you because I've mispelled a word or missed a coma, then my story isn't for you. If my story doesn't make sense, or has gone off course, please tell me in a PM, not my review box. I read tons of stories where the author doesn't use a beta and to me, that's their perogative. I'm happy with the readers I do have and appreciate the opinons ( all good I'm hoping) still keep coming in. They give me the courage to keep writing. I have worked with a beta before and she bounced out on me, so I continued doing the work on my own. I do have a pre-reader who has awesome idea's and comments and I love her a whole heck of a lot. Loopylou992, your opinions mean more then you know. Again, I do this for fun...I don't do it to enter contests or expect it to be put on the top ten best seller list of the month. It's free. All my typing, all of my plot and time is free for you to enjoy.**

**So, on that note, I've got a couple of rec's this week.**

**One Night by mamasutra**

**Twilight on the BLUE LAGOON by knicnort3**

**The Invisible Wife by lvtwilight09...this story, if you're not so good with angst, don't read. It is well written and I give lots of props to lvtwilight09 for having the cojones to write it.**

* * *

**Thanks for reading and sticking with me and my unbeta'd story.**

**Stephanie**


	10. Chapter 10

**PLEASE READ!**

**I've replaced the original chapter that I posted with this one. Loopylou992 did her pre-read on it and I've added some new sentences and taken some out. Hope you like this improved chapter, although, not a lot has changed. Hopefully you'll be able to tell the difference.**

**To everyone who has reviewed and I haven't replied...I'm sorry. I try and miss some in the process. GUEST REVIEWERS...I appreciate the reviews, but I can't reply if you're not signed in.**

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Re-updated: 8/22/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 10**

**BPOV**

* * *

Mine and Edwards walk on the beach was enlightening. I got to see more of his unselfishness. When a little kids ball went flying past us, he went out of our way, to get it back to him. It made my heart melt even more for him.

We made it back to my house, me heading up to my room to change and Edward headed out to his truck to grab his swim trunks.

He was waiting for me by the sliding glass doors when I came downstairs. He was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Please tell me you don't wear that down on the beach," he said, motioning to my body. I looked down pretending that I didn't know what he meant, shrugging my shoulders.

I was wearing a revealing cherry red bikini. I knew it would peak his curiosity. "Why?"

He rolled his eyes at me and huffed. "And you ask me why. Bella, your tits are practically hangin' out."

I giggled at him. "It's just you and me. And no, I haven't worn this to the beach...yet."

"Please don't because I know what I'm thinking and I could just imagine what other guys would think if they saw you in that. Just please humor me and say you won't wear that to the beach. At least when I'm not around." He stepped over to me and placed his hands on my hips. "Please?"

"Fine. For your eyes only, then," I conceded, wrapping my arms around his naked torso. I loved the way his skin felt against mine.

He kissed the top of my head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, lets go swim." I moved away from our embrace and grabbed his hand, leading him out to the pool. We sat our towels down on the lounge chairs.

I reached over to the small table between the chairs and pulled out the tanning oil with sunscreen, from the drawer. "Can you put this on my back, please?"

"Sure." He grabbed the oil from me and straddled the lounge chair closest to him. "Sit." He patted the area between his legs and I graciously sat down, trying not to sit to close.

He squirted the oil on my back and slowly began to rub it between my shoulder blades, working his way over each shoulder.

It felt so good to have his hands on me. Just the feel of his touch was causing me to relax, making my imagination run wild.

I closed my eyes to try and concentrate on something other than him touching me, and it wasn't working.

When he started working his way down my arms, I felt him move closer. He kissed the back of my neck before he slipped his hands around my waist and rubbed the non-existent oil on my stomach.

He started kissing around my neck more, settling just below my ear. Goosebumps riddled the entire upper half of my body and causing a familiar tingling, but long forgotten, sensation between my legs.

The moment I felt his tongue caress the shell of my ear, my nipples hardened like rocks.

I wasn't sure if he could see from where he was behind me, but I didn't want him to notice, so I crossed my arms over my chest before he could.

His legs clamped around my hips when he pulled me closer and in that moment, I melted.

More kisses and licks were trailed to the other side of my neck. I tilted my head to give him better access; moving my hands down to cover his because I was so close to coming unglued.

I pulled my legs up and leaned further back into him. I wasn't ready for the moment to end and for a split second, I wanted to turn around and straddle him, but the little Angel that was sitting on my shoulder, was waving her finger at me, in warning. That idea was a _no_, _no._

When I felt his teeth nip at my earlobe, I moaned. I couldn't help the way my body was reacting to him. That little Angel, was now standing with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. "Edward."

"Hmmm..." he responded.

"Pool." Was the only verbal sound that came out of my mouth.

He moved his hands and smoothed them over my arms before he pulled away from me. "You go ahead. I need a few minutes."

Releasing me from his hold, he scooted back, giving me room to get up.

I stood and righted my bikini bottoms. _ What? I had a wedgie. _"Take your time," I said over my shoulder as I started walking over to the pool. I was unsure if my legs would be able to carry me following that intense touching session, so I stood for a moment, collecting myself before I continued to the pool.

I fought my instincts to turn and look at him. I knew what I would see if I did.

He was sporting massive wood and needed a few minutes to try and compose himself.

I honestly wasn't trying to tease him because it was only making matters a little difficult for myself, as well.

In the short while that I've known him, he's completely turned me inside out and made me feel things I've never felt at my young age. I was finally realizing that, when I was with Anthony, he turned me on, but nothing to the extent of what Edward was doing to me. He could do it with a look and the gentlest of touches on my skin

And that shit is scaring the day lights out of me.

When I stepped down into the pool, I contemplated on just diving in. That brought me back to my relationship with Edward. _ Hmmm...should I_ _just dive right in and let things happen the way they're supposed to?_

That remains to be seen, so I did just that, I dove in without easing in like a scared little child. I never had these same feelings with Anthony and felt what Edward was doing to me; making me feel young and carefree. I would make sure he knew what I felt, very soon. I didn't want him to wait much longer.

All I needed now, was the guy to keep me afloat.

Speaking of said guy, he finally stood from the lounge chair, taking a few running steps, diving into the pool and heading in my direction.

When he got close enough to me, I tried moving away from him, squealing with excitement, but he grabbed my legs, pulling me under.

When we both came up, I was a sputtering mess. Chlorinated water wasn't the best tasting water and it burned when it went up my nose.

I smacked his chest after I was done coughing. "OW! What was that for?"

"You ass. Water went up my nose, if you didn't notice my coughing fit," I said, moving away from him. I was headed to the edge of the pool when I felt him grab me around the waist. I screamed when he hoisted me up and walked over to set me down on the side of the pool. I thought he was going to dunk me under the water, again.

"Sorry." He pushed my legs open and draped his arms over them. "I was just playing around," he said with a pout.

I leaned down and gave him a small kiss. "I know. You just surprised me, that's all."

He leaned forward and gave my stomach a kiss with a lick in its wake.

I ran my fingers through his wet hair and pulled his head closer to me when he continued kissing and licking at my stomach. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and before I registered what was happening, he was sucking on a mouth full of my flesh.

I could feel the sting and knew he was marking me. I pushed him away while he still had a mouth full of my stomach. "Hey!"

He gave me a devious smile. "What?" Then he tried to look innocent.

I looked down and saw a huge reddish-purple mark right next to my belly button. It was the size of a golf ball. "What the hell?"

"Couldn't help it. You taste so good." He tried to defend himself.

"Now I can't even go down to the beach, at all," I complained.

"Sure you can." He smiled at me. "You just can't wear a bikini."

I moved my hand to smack him and he jumped back. We were both laughing at his absurdity.

His facial expression altered to a scowl when I saw him looking between my legs. It was then I realized what he saw.

I closed my legs and got up from the edge of the pool. I didn't need to hear any lectures from him about the scars on my thighs. They were slowly fading, but not quick enough. They were a physical reminder of what I had with Anthony; the only visible sign that he had existed. Everything else was invisible. The pain, the hurt and my quickly mending broken heart.

"Bella, what the hell is that?" He asked as he followed me out of the pool.

I didn't answer him and I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

I walked over and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around my waist. I wanted my thighs completely out of view and I honestly, didn't even think about the scars or Edward seeing them, when I put my bikini on. Being around him, made me completely forget my past.

He walked over and sat down next to me. "Bella, please tell me."

I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. "I think you should go home."

He pulled my hands away from my face; using his fingers, he urged me to look at him. I closed my eyes once we made eye contact. "Please don't do this? Everyone has flaws. I wanna know all of yours from inside and out; every inch of you."

I opened my eyes to find his pleading ones staring back at me. "I want you to know every one of my flaws, too." Tears began to roll down my cheeks. "But what you saw, isn't a flaw, Edward," I said, flopping my head back against the headrest of the lounger. "What you saw are mistakes that I should've never let happen."

My mom decided at that moment to make an appearance. "Hey, you two."

I wiped my face before she noticed. "Hi, mom."

"Hi, Mrs. Dwyer. I was about to head out."

"Oh, well, don't head out on my account," mom said as she sat her glass of tea down on the small table between the lounges.

"Nah, I've got some stuff to take care of and I need to get all my gear loaded up before school on Monday." He stood up and reached his hand out toward me. "Walk me out?"

"Sure. I'll be right back, mom."

"Okay, bye, Edward."

"Bye, Mrs. Dwyer," Edward said as we started walking toward the patio door.

We walked through the foyer; Edward grabbed his other clothes on our way out.

When we made it out to his truck, he pulled me into a tight hug. "Look, I'm confused about what you said to me out there, but just know that I won't judge you. You said that whatever it is, was a mistake, well, everyone makes them and learns from them. I know I have." He pulled from our hug and held me at arms length, looking directly in my eyes. "Just please don't shut me out. We just got together and I want you to be able to trust me. I'm here for you, okay."

I nodded. "Okay," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to explain it to you, but I will; I promise."

"That's all I'm asking. To trust me and be open with me. I don't want us keeping secrets from each other. I promise to never keep anything from you. Little by little, we'll get there and trusting each other is a start."

He pulled me into another hug and I melted into his embrace; he made me feel safe and secure. "Will you call or text me later?"

"Yeah, count on it. Now, go hang out with your mom and do what girls do. I'm sure she has loads of questions for you," he suggested and leaned back to look at me. He smiled and leaned down to place his lips on mine.

What I expected to be a small chaste kiss, turned into more. His arms snaked around my head and pulled me closer to deepen the kiss.

Our make-out session was interrupted when a car pulled up. It was Phil. "Hey, you two love-birds."

"Hey, Phil."

"Hey, Mr. Dwyer," Edward responded, moving to stand behind me and I knew why. The poor guy was a walking wood factory for the past couple of days.

Phil chuckled. "Son, I've known you nearly your whole life and you've never called me Mr. Dwyer, before."

"Well, I've never dated your daughter before," Edward retorted.

Phil chuckled at him, again. "True," he said, walking closer to where we were standing. "But nothings changed. Keep calling me Phil. Worry about Charlie when he comes down. He does carry a gun, you know. He'll be here at Thanksgiving," Phil said, teasingly.

"Okay, I'll take that into consideration. Thanks for the forewarning, Phil," Edward replied back to him.

Phil clapped Edward on the shoulder. "I'm headin' in. See you inside, Bella."

Phil walked away, making his way inside the house. I turned to face Edward. "So, what time do you leave for school?"

"Considering tomorrow's the first day, I'll leave a little earlier than I usually do so that I can take all my stuff to the locker room. School starts at eight-thirty, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, mom's etched that on my brain," I replied. I placed both my hands on his chest. "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Definitely. Expect me to hold your hand and kiss you in front of everyone," he informed me with a winner of all smiles.

I smiled back at him. "I look forward to it."

"Okay. I'm outta here. I'll call you in a little while," he said, leaning down and giving me a lingering kiss. It was close to making my toes curl like our first kiss.

I whined. "I changed my mind. I don't want you to go."

"I gotta. My truck isn't gonna load itself and I don't wanna wait till the last minute to get it loaded," he explained, kissing me, again. "We'll see each other tomorrow and talk later."

"Fine." I hugged him one more time before he climbed up into his truck.

When he pulled away, I felt my heart falter just a little. I needed to be completely honest with him about what happened to me. I know that he knows most of the story, but the part about my scars are a big part of what I really don't want to share with him. If I truly want an honest relationship with him, I need to pull my head out of my ass and be honest. It's about the both of us, not just me, anymore.

The last three weeks, being around Edward, has made me only see him, and the last few days, being around him, touching him, kissing him and just him, has kept my mind on him. Edward has become my top priority when it comes to my love life.

I walked back out to where mom was. I was happy to have a little time to spend with her before our hectic week started the next day.

I plopped down on the lounger next to her and sighed. She was reading some book that had a gun, a rose and some blood on the cover. I didn't even bother asking what she was reading. She always had a book in her hand or was reading something.

"Another love story?" I asked. That was normally what she read and her imagination always went wild when it came to them. It was no wonder Phil loves her so much.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be one of the best love stories to come out since _Titanic. _So far, I've barely been able to put it down," she explained. She put her book mark in it to save her place. I knew some girl talk was about to happen.

"Hmmm...love stories. There's always one better than another out there," I retorted. I stretched my legs out and grabbed the tanning oil to rub on my legs since Edward didn't get that far before.

I could feel her eyes on me. "Is everything okay, between you and Anth...Edward? You two seemed like you were having an intense conversation when I came out."

"Yeah, we're just..." I couldn't tell her the real reason we were talking so intensely. "...having some honesty issues. All from me, though."

"What's so hard about being honest with him? You did give him a chance, after all, right?" She asked, concern behind her tone.

I sighed. "I'm just starting to get use to him and now that we're together, there's some stuff I'm reluctant to share with him, right now," I explained, giving a slight shrug of my shoulders and a small smile.

Mom turned and faced me. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

I nodded, answering her. "I don't wanna come across like the overbearing mother and invade your privacy, but I've gotta ask this one question." She sighed heavily before she spoke, again. "You've said you didn't have a sexual relationship with Anthony, but were you telling me the truth?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" I asked, quizzically, not having any idea where this conversation was going.

"Well, young girls, such as yourself and older women, too..." She stalled, thinking her words over. "What I'm trying to say is, it's harder to let a relationship go once there's sex involved. When you give yourself to someone like that intimately, you give them a part of yourself and it's hard to get that back. I'm not saying you could ever get your virginity back, but it's harder to find and get that feeling of being whole again." She sighed. "I know you thought you were in love with Anthony and I'm thinking that the reason you're having such a hard time with being so open with Edward, is because you gave that part of you to Anthony."

I thought for a minute about what she said and I agreed with her, and now, I could comprehend why I never let things go to far with Anthony.

I wasn't in love with him like I thought I was. I loved him, yes, but I wasn't in love with him. That has to be the reason why I didn't give myself to him and the times we were orally intimate with each other, were the only real times I felt like I was in love with him.

I shook my head. "No. We never did that. I'll be honest, we did do some stuff, but I would never let it get that far."

"Can I ask, why?"

"I was too afraid and I felt like I wasn't ready. Like I said before, he never pushed me to do anything. He did ask me to save myself for him, though, and now that I think about it, he was very adamant about it," I explained the best I could at that moment and I almost forgot that I was talking to my mom.

I glanced over at her and she had a puzzled look on her face. I couldn't tell by her reaction, whether she was happy about my confession or just plain confused.

We were silent for a few minutes before she spoke. "Why in the world would he make you promise something like that? And then keep making you promise only to up and leave?"

"I don't know, mom, but I'm just glad that we didn't go any further than we did," I replied, feeling somewhat uncomfortable about my confession to her given that she is my mother, after all.

She smiled over at me. "I'm glad, too, sweetie, but I know I can sit here and lecture you until I'm blue in the face about when that right time will be. That I couldn't tell you because that's entirely up to you. I would like to think you'll save yourself for marriage, but being a woman myself, I know how things can get in the heat of the moment. Just be careful, please. I'm too young to be a grandmother. Heck, Phil and I are trying for a baby of our own."

I hopped up from my lounger and launched myself at her. "Oh, my God. That's such exciting news." We hugged and giggled together at the possibility of a new baby in the house.

I sat back down, unable to get the smile off my face. "Who knows, we may have a honeymoon baby on the way."

"This is so excellent. I can't wait to tell Alice and Edward," I said excitedly.

She clapped her hands at me. "Now, as far as you," she said in a sing-song tone. "How do you feel about me taking you to the doctor and getting you on birth control?"

I was a little stunned that she would suggest birth control, but I could completely understand why. "Sure. Just let me know when the appointment is. I'm due for my period in a week, so it'll have to be sometime this week or in a couple of weeks."

"Okay, I'll call Dr. Jensen on my lunch hour tomorrow," she informed me before getting up from her lounger. "Let's head inside to get dinner ready." She stopped and abruptly turned toward me. "Nice love bite you got there."

I was so embarrassed. I had forgotten that Edward sucked a huge hickey on my stomach.

I grabbed my towel from around my waist and moved it up. I knew that if Phil saw it, he'd give me shit about it, too.

Speaking of Phil, he came galloping down the stairs, freshly showered. "Hey, ladies," he said, giving mom a quick kiss and me a kiss on my cheek.

"Hey you. We're about to start dinner," mom informed him.

Mom and I headed upstairs to change before we started dinner after Phil agreed to go ahead and pull the stuff out that we were going to make.

As we cooked, we joked around and made more of a mess than we intended to do. It was great to spend time with both mom and Phil.

During dinner, we talked about their honeymoon and the impending arrival of a new baby. They both had sparkles in their eyes at the thought.

After we all cleaned the kitchen together, we said our good-nights and made our way upstairs to our rooms. I was anxious to call Edward.

I showered and got my school clothes together. I also made sure all the other stuff I needed, was in my backpack. I was a little nervous about starting a new school, but I knew with Alice and Edward there, I'd make it through just fine.

It was close to ten o'clock when I realized I hadn't called Edward yet, so I plopped down on my bed and snuggled in before I reached for my phone. I noticed there was a text from him that I must have missed while I was in the shower.

I opened the message and smiled. I could definitely feel myself falling for him more and more.

**_Thinking of you. Call me before you go to bed –E_**

I quickly pressed his saved speed dial number. His phone barely made it to the second ring._ "Ello, love,"_ he answered in his form of a British accent.

"I didn't realize my boyfriend was English," I said jokingly. Then I realized what I said. I called him my boyfriend.

"_Boyfriend, eh?" _He asked mockingly.

I was stunned silent for a minute before I spoke again. "Sorry. That just came out."

"_Don't be sorry. I like the way it sounds and I'm happy at the fact my_ _girlfriend called me."_ I sighed when I heard the word girlfriend come through the phone.

I mimicked him in return. "Girlfriend, eh?"

"_Right now, I'm assuming that we've become official and in an_ _unromantic way, over the phone, I might add,"_ he said teasingly. My smile grew wide enough to scrunch my eyes.

"Well, just so you know, I'm not much of a romantic; only every once in a while," I conveyed to him with a giggle.

He chuckled. _"Duly noted. I'll have to remember that."_

"Good, now, I have some stuff to say to you before I lose the nerve." I took in a deep breath and he agreed. "I wanna start off by apologizing about this afternoon. I've made one huge mistake in my life and I'm a little ...actually a lot embarrassed about it..."

Edward interrupted me before I could continue._ "Bella, wait. You __don't_ _have to tell me right now. When you're ready. I can wait. I ..."_

I cut him off in return. "Edward, shut up and let me finish. Don't interrupt me unless it's important."

"_Fine,"_ he reluctantly agreed. This was already hard enough on me as it was and I didn't need him to try and convince me to wait and tell him.

"Thank you. Geesh! This is hard for me to tell you and I hate that I'm doing it on the phone. I just can't bare it if..." I sighed and thought for a couple of seconds. "I just can't bear the thought of you walking away from me after I tell you. We've come so far in the last few weeks and I want what you want; us to be completely open and honest with each other. I wanna tell you everything. You've become, not only my boyfriend very recently, but also a good friend to me. I don't wanna ruin that with my past."

We were quiet for a minute and I could feel tears prickling at the corner of my eyes. "We did some stuff. Me and Anthony. I wasn't lying when I told you that I'm still a virgin, but we did things to each other and what you saw, are the scars from where he fed from me. They'll go away completely."

"_Can I ask how you know they'll go away?" _ I could hear a little anger behind his words, but I wasn't going to call him on it.

"Well," I sighed heavily. "The one on my neck is completely gone. That's how I know," I answered honestly.

I heard him sigh._ "Okay."_

"I'm sorry." Now I was feeling really bad because I was explaining all this over the phone.

"_Just tell me,"_ he said in a low voice.

Tears started falling. I could tell he was upset by his tone. "Maybe I shouldn't. I'm afraid you'll see me differently." I felt myself slowly backing out of telling him. I just needed his reassurance that we'll be okay if I tell him what Anthony and I did with each other.

"_I won't lie and tell you I'm not getting upset, but this is your past and after_ you _tell __me, that's where it'll stay, okay."_ That's all I needed to hear from him. I just got him; I didn't want to lose him already after two days.

I wiped my tears and composed myself. "I guess the easiest way to say it without going into all the details is..." I sighed, again. "God, I hate this. Please tell me we'll be okay."

"_Bella, we're in a relationship now and like we both said, honesty is a large part of that." _His reassurance made me smile...slightly.

"Okay, um...I let him feed from me on my thighs because the marks were easier to hide there and he usually only fed from me while I was having an orgasm from him going down on me." I cringed, waiting for his reaction.

He was quiet, but I could hear his breathing become harsher and I knew he was beyond pissed.

When he spoke, I flinched. _"Please tell me you didn't fuckin' go down on him, too? Please, Bella."_

I was uncontrollably crying now and I could barely get the words to come out, through my sobs. "I ca...can't. I'm...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I understand if you never wanna see me again."

"_Just shut the fuck up about that shit, already. I shouldn't be pissed because it's your past, but I am. I'm pissed at him for taking advantage of you. How old did you say he was? One hundred and twenty?"_

"Yes," I answered quietly, still afraid of what his next words would be.

"_Bella, listen to me. I may only be eighteen, but I know when someone's being taken advantage of and you were taken advantage of. He's well over old enough to know better. That's probably why he prey's on young girls because they're so vulnerable and gullible. I'm not saying that you didn't know a damn thing about what was going on, but look at the bigger picture here, Bella, you're sixteen, for Christ sakes. He knew all the right words to lure you in and make you fall for him. And I'm sure you loved him, but for fucks sake, there is no way on Gods green earth, that he loved you. Please tell me you understand what I'm saying."_

I never really thought about it that way. I became one of Anthony's victims. I fell for his sentiments; his words of love forever and to top it off, I promised to save myself for him and now that I thought about it, there's a lot of promises that were made to be broken, that were made between us. And the one promise that I'm glad is broken, forever, is the one I made to him about saving myself for him.

A loud sob escaped me. _"Bella, please. Just calm down. I'm not mad at you. I swear; it's him. I wanna rip his fuckin' head off for what he did to you. __And please know that I'll never, ever take advantage of you or do anything remotely close to what he did to you. That's not me and it never will be. We don't ever have to talk about this again."_

My heart raced at his committed words. I needed to tell him about the promise that is now, forever broken. "There's something else, but it doesn't mean anything at all. And there's more I wanna tell you, but it has to do with you and me."

"_Okay. Get it over with because if we never speak about that bastard again, that'll be too soon."_

"Well, he made me promise to save myself for him. And now that I think about it, he always made sure to remind me after I initially promised."

"_Are you positive he never did that thing to you. What's it called? Where they fuck with your head."_

I knew what he was talking about –Compulsion. "No, no. I'm pretty sure he never did that. I don't think I'd be able to get as close to you as much as we've been the last couple of days."

"_Good, because I want that for us one day. For us to be, you know, together. Can we just focus on us from now on?_

I wish he could see the smile on my face. "Yeah, definitely."

"_Okay. Good. Look, it's late and we should get to bed. I'll see you at_ _school tomorrow,"_ he said and at that moment, I yawned.

"_See, you're exhausted. Go wash those tears off your beautiful face and_ _dream about me tonight because I'll be dreamin' of you."_ I just swooned like the school girl I am.

"I will. Goodnight Edward."

"_Goodnight, baby. I'll see you tomorrow."_ My heart sputtered at his term of endearment for me. I loved it.

I would love to say I dreamed of only Edward that night, but I'd be lying to myself, if I did.

* * *

**A/N: yes this is the replacement chapter...not sure if you can review again and I'm okay with it if you don't. **

**Chapter 11 will be up within the next couple of days then we'll have an EPOV this weekend and MAYBE chapter 12.**

**Thanks again,**

**~Stephanie~**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: One of my reviewers was ANON and I couldn't reply but her review but it made me laugh so hard. She asked if in the beginning, if Jane was Emmett's "Meals On Wheels"...LOL...Thought that was hilarious...Don't forget to sign in so I can reply.**

**Love all the reveiws. You're all great and keep them coming. The more the merrier.**

**To Loopylou992...you're the bomb. THANK YOU!**

**Not beta'd...all my mistakes.**

**Enjoy!**

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Update: 2/25/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 11**

**BPOV**

* * *

Monday morning came way too quickly. Mom was leaving an hour before me because she still had some stuff to set up in her classroom and by eight o'clock, Alice was ringing my doorbell. "C'mon in for a sec. I need to grab my bag."

She walked in, standing by the door while I ran upstairs to get my backpack. My car keys were downstairs and that was all I had left to grab. I never carried a purse during school; too much hassle. I put my wallet in my backpack to make it easier.

Alice didn't wait. The moment we were settled in my car, she pounced. "You wanna tell me what my brother was practically screaming about last night? His room is right next to mine and I couldn't help but hear him. I didn't hear what was being said, though."

Alice already knew everything that happened between me and Anthony, so the less words I said, I knew she'd know what I was talking about. "I told him everything."

"About Anthony?" I nodded, answering her question.

"I get the impression he was pissed?" If she only knew the entirety of it.

I nodded, again. "You could say that."

"Are you guys okay, though?" I knew Alice wanted Edward and me as a couple almost more than him and I do, even though she had a vision about us being together.

Another nod. "Yeah. And we're a couple by the way."

She squealed, clapping her hands. "See, I told you so."

"Yeah, yeah, you did, but that doesn't mean you can meddle, okay," I said, firmly. If I didn't tell her to keep her nose in her own business, she'd be putting her two cents in every chance she got.

"I know. And I won't. Only if I think it's important, which, speaking of, I had another vision last night," she said, while reaching into her purse and pulling out a piece of gum. "Want a piece?"

"Yeah, and what was this vision of yours?" If she even tells me anything about me and Edward, I'd pull over and kick her out of my car.

"It was about your mom. Are her and Phil trying to have a baby?" Crap, I knew I forgot to tell her something. I was so caught up in my drama with Edward, that I forgot to say anything to either of them.

"Yeah, why?" Then I had a thought. "Oh, God, please tell me it isn't bad?" I didn't know if I could handle any bad news, especially about my mom.

She shook her head. "No. Definitely not bad, but it does take them quite a few months to conceive. Maybe sooner." Then she sighed. "And I saw her pregnant along with someone else, but I couldn't see her face."

"Probably one of her co-workers. Or your mom. That would be funny," I said, giggling as I imagined my mom and Esme pregnant together. Poor Phil and Carlisle.

"That would be funny, but no, it's not my mom. She had to have a hysterectomy after I was born," she explained, almost looking hurt. I apologized, feeling a little sad myself, for her.

Our conversation about pregnancies was dropped when we pulled into the school parking lot. I saw Edwards truck parked closest to the school and lucky enough, the spot next to him was open, so I took it.

After I parked, I noticed a car stop behind me; the person glaring at me through the driver side window. I paid no attention and went about my business.

Alice and I started walking when I heard someone behind me. "Excuse me."

I turned to see a blonde approaching us. I raised my eyebrows at her. "Yes."

"You took my parking spot. I always park next to Anthony's truck. Move your car," the no name, bimbo demanded.

Alice stepped in front of me. "Can it Tanya. Your name isn't anywhere near that spot."

"Fuck you, Alice. Now. Move. Your. Car," she demanded, again, but I wasn't giving in that easily.

"No," I said, turning to walk away.

She did the wrong thing and grabbed my arm. I didn't hesitate turning on her and twisting her arm behind her back. "Don't ever touch me, again."

Edward came running up about that time. "Hey, hey, what's goin' on here?"

"Get your fuckin' hand off me!" Tanya sneered through gritted teeth.

I shoved her forward and reached down to grab my backpack that I dropped before the bitch grabbed me.

"Anthony, this bitch parked in my spot and won't move. I don't know who the hell she thinks she is, but if she thinks she's taking my spot next to you, then she's got another thing coming." Tanya only thought she was threatening me, but she what she didn't know, won't hurt her...right now.

Edward shook his head. "Tanya, first of all, don't you ever call my girlfriend a bitch and secondly, starting tomorrow, you can have your spot back, okay." We turned to walk away, but he turned back to a very pissed off Tanya. "And by the way, keep your hands to yourself. I'm sure you don't want that face of yours messed up."

Edward turned back around and wrapped his arms around me, placing a wet, open-mouthed kiss on my lips. "Hey, sweetness," he said after he pulled away.

"Hey, yourself." We started walking, hand in hand, just like he said he wanted to do in school. "Who the hell was that?"

"That is the infamous Tanya Denali. She's the cliché cheer captain, prom queen who thinks everyone should bow down to her," he explained to me, but I didn't care who she was, she just needed to keep her attitude in check.

Alice sidled up next to me, slipping her arm through mine. "Don't worry about her. She's been after Edward since Kindergarten. She thinks just because she's an aspiring model and holier than thou, miss popular, she can boss anyone around."

"Well, she needs to learn to keep her hands to herself or I won't be so nice next time. She's lucky I didn't shove her face into the concrete." I looked over at Alice who was beaming with pride.

We continued walking and went to our lockers. We thanked our lucky stars that our lockers were only four spaces apart.

Edward's locker was in a different hall because he was a Senior, but he wasn't in a hurry to get to his because he'd already been.

We walked Alice to her first class, promising to meet up at lunch then headed to my first class. My advanced Calculus class. Yup, I'm a nerd when it comes to my school work.

We stopped just outside the doorway before Edward pulled me into a tight hug. He lowered his head to kiss me. I wasn't so big on PDA, but with him, I wasn't giving a shit. AT. ALL.

We got a little carried away until we heard a throat clear behind us. "Mr. Cullen."

Edward and I turned to see and older man glaring at us. "Mr. Carson," Edward said and smiled.

"Isn't there a class that you need to be in, right now, Mr. Cullen?"

"I'm on my way there, right now, sir," Edward replied.

He looked down at me and kissed my temple. "I'll see you at lunch," then walked away toward his class.

I was left standing with Mr. Carsen. "And what name shall I call you?"

"Bella Swan, sir," I replied, feeling embarrassment spread like wild fire.

He nodded his head. "Ah, yes, Mrs. Dwyers daughter." He extended his hand to me. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ernie Carsen, your Advanced Calculus teacher." He gestured toward the classroom door. "Shall we?" I smiled, nodding at him.

The class was loud when we walked in and he again, gestured toward the remaining empty seat. And unfortunately, it was in between a huge guy with a football jersey on and none other than...shit, I forgot her name. The chick from the grocery store and the boardwalk. She was the one that was giving Edward googly eyes.

She looked up when I scooted into my seat. "I remember you. You were with Alice at the grocery store. What was your name, again?"

It wasn't normal for me to be rude, so I answered. "Bella."

I didn't even bother asking her name because I didn't care. "Wow, I didn't expect you to be in any advanced classes. I figured you'd be off with Alice in some of hers." Her comment, caused me to grit my teeth. Was she insinuating Alice wasn't smart enough to be in advanced classes?

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged her shoulders at me. "Alice just doesn't seem to...you know."

"No, I don't know and I hope you're not trying to say she's stupid because she's a lot smarter than what you think." I chuckled at her. "That's quite two faced of you. You were all nice and giddy when you saw her at the store and now, you're accusing her of being stupid. How pathetic of you."

She sneered at me. "Oh, shut up. You don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think I..."

I was cut off, mid sentence, by Mr. Carsen. "Ladies, class is starting," he warned.

And for the rest of class, she kept glaring at me while the football player on the other side of me, was flashing flirtatious looks at me. Dear God, please fast forward time. That's all I'm asking, right now.

When class was over, Edward was waiting outside the door for me. "What the heck did you do...run?"

"Something like that." He leaned down and kissed me about the same time whats-her-face came walking out.

Her eyes were bugged out of her head when she witnessed us kissing. "Anthony?"

Edward turned towards her. "Yes?"

"Is this your girlfriend?" She glared at me. If she could shoot daggers from her eyes, I'd be dead.

"Yes, now if you'll excuse us, Bella needs to get to her next class." We walked away from her as she huffed at us. Such petulance...I swear.

My next class was Advanced Biology.

We passed Alice on our way. "Hey, how is it so far?" She hugged me and patted Edward on the shoulder.

"Eh, it's okay. I have my first class with the chick from the grocery store." Alice looked dumbfounded for a couple of seconds; wracking her brain, trying to figure out who I was talking about.

Her eyes grew wide when she realized who I was referring to. "Oh, her. Don't mind her. She's a snobby, bitch, too." She hugged me, again. "Okay, gotta go. See ya later." And she was off prancing off to her next class.

It only took us another minute to get to my class. When we stopped, I was curious about something. "Are you risking being late to your classes just to walk me to mine?"

A guilty look appeared on his gorgeous face. "Sorta."

"Edward, don't do that. I'm a big girl," I scolded. He stuck his bottom lip out, pouting at me.

"But, I want to," he said like a small demanding child.

I playfully smacked his chest. "Oh, stop. Just for today. I don't want you getting in trouble for being late all the time."

"I'll see what I can do." We kissed each other. I felt it all the way to my toes.

When we pulled apart, people, mainly girls, were glaring at us. Me in particular, but I figured they could just go screw themselves.

"See you in a little bit," Edward said as he started walking away.

"Hey, I have a free period next class. I'm just heading to the library." I wanted him to know that he didn't have to rush to my beck and call for every class.

"Cool, me too." He winked at me and walked off.

Mr. Wilks was my Advanced Biology teacher. He seemed fairly nice. I didn't foresee any problems getting along with him, and fortunately, I didn't have any run ins with anyone that would be a potential threat to me. I did receive awkward glances and stares from various people. And again, mainly girls.

When class was over, Edward was standing outside the library when I finally found it. He pushed himself off the wall, from where he was leaning on it. I smiled at the gorgeousness in front of me.

When I made it to him, he reached his hand out to take mine. "How's my girl?"

"Fine, now that I'm here with you," I replied, stepping up on my tip-toes to kiss him.

We made our way into the library and Edward guided us to the farthest corner, away from everything and everyone. It was a secluded area that had a couple of tables behind some of the book shelves. It gave us plenty of privacy to talk or whatever other situation happens to pop up.

We sat our backpacks down on the table he chose and took our seats. Edward didn't waste any time scooting his chair over as close to me, as possible. The first thing he did, he cupped my face with one hand and with the other, he eased it around the back of my neck, threading his fingers in my hair.

We just sat there staring at each other before smiles spread across our faces. "I already miss having you all to myself."

I felt a little shy at first, but I knew exactly how he felt. "Me, too."

He pressed his lips to mine, coaxing me to open, fully to him. Our kiss escalated to a full on make out session.

When Edward's hands started roaming, I pulled back. "Not here," I whispered, pulling his hand from where it was cupping one of my breasts.

Edward groaned, closing his eyes. I glanced down and saw his shorts were now tented out in the front. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It seems to be happening a lot more lately. I can't help it when I'm around you like this." I giggled at him as I reached up to up his face. We both smiled at each other.

I leaned in and applied a light kiss to his lips. "If it's any consolation, you make me pretty twitchy in my lady bits, too."

The hugest grin, ever, spread across his face. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Now, there was a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about and I have an hour, well, fifty minutes because the other ten minutes were used attacking each other." I reached down, grasping my chair, turning it so I was completely facing him.

He reached out and grasped my hands and held them where our knees were touching. "Should I be worried about what you have to tell me? I don't know if I can handle hearing anymore stuff like last night."

I shook my head. "No, nothing like that. That's the worst of it. I promise."

"Good, and just so you know, I'm here for you regardless of what you have to tell me. I'm still pissed about last night and I don't think I'll ever be over it, but I'm doing the best I can for you," he said, shrugging his shoulders, slightly.

"Thank you because, Edward, as much as I already love Alice, she's a best-friend to me, but with you, I want it all. The friendship, companionship, and eventually intimacy. And of course...love," I said, looking down where our hands were clasped together.

One of Edward's hands came up and rested under my chin, tilting my head up so I was looking at his gorgeous face. I was finally getting over the fact that Edward and Anthony looked so much alike, except their eyes and mannerisms.

Edward had the most beautiful bluish-gray, with a hint of green, eyes. There were days where they looked more blue and today, they had more of a green tint to them.

"Just so you know, I'm already on the highway for all that and I'm moving pretty damn fast," he said, using his thumb to trace my bottom lip. "To love, I mean. My feelings for you are very strong, right now. That's all I'm sayin'."

I nodded, agreeing with him, but I wasn't ready to say that out loud. The more I was around him, the more my feelings grew. I was still a little skeptical about love.

"Well..." I trailed off, tilting my head to the side, giving him a small smile, sighing. "I've had a couple of heart to heart talks with my mom. She made me see where my reluctance, in our relationship, was coming from and why I was pushing you away, at first." I scooted closer to him, opening up my legs and clamping his between mine. "You and especially my mom, made me realize that I was never truly in love with Anthony, and you made me realize, last night, that he never really loved me. The reason is because, I never got comfortable enough to give myself to him fully. Yes, we did do things, but my heart kept telling me _no_, to not take that next step. I was always afraid."

Edward nodded at me to continue. "My moms the main reason why I gave you a chance. She made me see that you and Anthony are completely different people and that if I was always questioning myself about giving you a chance, then I shouldn't. I didn't want it to be like that; always questioning myself. It had already been over five months since the last time I saw him and that's when I broke things off with him. He actually answered my question of _'Could I give him another chance?'_, because he left and all I asked from him was time to figure out where I wanted things to be with him. When he left, I was shattered more because he never said good-bye, but I was also mad at myself for feeling embarrassed for him doing that to me. I was the little wounded cat that felt like answers were needed, but now that you and my mom have made me see the bigger picture, I don't care. I'm humiliated now because I knew he used me."

I paused my word vomit to give him a chance to throw in his opinion.

He reached up and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. "I guess I owe your mom a _thank you, _don't I?"

I nodded and chuckled. "You can thank yourself, too. I hadn't been fair to myself or you, by holding onto something that was never meant to be." I reached up and mimicked his earlier movement, using my thumb to trace his lower lip. "By me doing that, I was wasting time on a broken heart, but you started healing it for me. My only concern, a few weeks ago, was that you two looked so much alike, except your eyes and personality."

Edward picked up one of my hands and brought the palm of it to his lips, kissing it. "I could never hurt you."

"And, I don't ever wanna hurt you, that's why I was so afraid I would confuse you with him, but after we finally starting talking and spending time together, there's no way I can confuse the two of you. There's no comparison at all. You've made me feel, in these last few days, more things that I've never felt before and I want more of it. I'm happy now and feel like I've gotten that small part of me, back, that I gave to him. There's nothing holding me back anymore."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all that." He leaned forward and gave me a small peck on the lips, "...but I'm not sorry it all led you to me."

I smiled at his truthfulness. "To you, my three day boyfriend, I wanna give myself to you completely; heart and soul."

He scooted even more close to me, causing me to practically straddle him, and pulled me into a hug. "You've had mine from the moment I laid eyes on you, regardless of my sisters predictions."

"I'll get there, Edward. I promise, and that's a promise I intend to keep." I knew he would know what I was talking about.

"I know you do."

We got engrossed in another make out session and before too long, the bell rang, signaling that it was time for lunch.

We walked, hand in hand, to the cafeteria, meeting Alice at the entrance when we approached. "Hey, you two, love-birds."

"You been in yet to save us a table?" Edward asked as he opened the door for me and Alice to walk in ahead of him.

"I stuck my head in. There's plenty to choose from. Are you not sitting with the guys from the team?" Alice went ahead of me and Edward in the lunch line, which wasn't very long. "Oh, good, there's still some good stuff left."

"We'll see. I was wanting to introduce, Bella, to the guys," Edward said, reaching for a tray.

After we got our lunch, we made our way over to a table that was full with about six guys. "Hey, Cullen." One guy said, getting up and pulling a chair around for Edward.

Two other guys stood up and pulled two more chairs from another table, for me and Alice. "What's up, guys?" Edward asked as he sat down, guiding me to the chair next to him. "You all know Alice." All the guys said their _hellos_ to her. "And this is my girlfriend, Bella."

All the guys grew smiles a mile wide. One of them, stood up and extended his hand out to me. "Hi, Bella, I'm Tyler. Nice to meet you."

I nodded my head. "Nice to meet you, too."

Edward started pointing out all the guys to me. "That's James, Eric, Matt, Josh and that big guy over there, is Sydney."

They all told me that it was nice to meet me. I nodded, scooting a little closer to Edward. "Hey, Cullen, you hear about the new guy on the team?"

"No, have you guys met him yet?" Edward asked, shoving a bite of his chicken sandwich into his mouth.

Sydney spoke up. "I've seen him. I think his name is Jasper or something like that. We heard he just moved here from Texas."

"That's cool. I guess we'll all meet him next week during our first practice." Edward shoved more food into his mouth and smiled over at me.

"So, Bella..." That was Matt speaking. "Where'd you move from?"

"Washington State. Forks, actually. It's about three and a half hours outside of Seattle."

He nodded his head. "That's cool. Your dad get a transfer or something?"

"No, my mom and step-dad live here. I just wanted a change of scenery," I explained. I started eating my food. Everyone was pretty quiet, especially Alice, which was unusual. She usually had something to say.

"Her step-dad is Phil Dwyer," Edward piped in. All their eyes grew wide and a couple of them even choked on their food.

James, who was one of the guys who choked, was finally able to speak. "No fuckin' way. Wow! I feel privileged now. Anthony here has his brother, Evan, and now your step-dad is Phil Dwyer. That's just...Wow! Think I could get an autograph? I'm a huge fan."

I giggled at his fan boy demeanor. "I don't know. I'll have to ask."

"So, is that how you and our boy, Cullen, met?" Tyler asked.

"You could say that." I looked up at Edward and smiled. "His dad and Phil are best-friends."

I turned to look at Alice. She was engrossed in her phone. She was sending text after text, to someone, but I figured if she wanted me to know, she'd tell me.

After a couple of minutes, I nudged her in the side with my elbow. "Why so quiet?"

"Oh, sorry. I was texting mom. We were making dinner plans for all of us next weekend. She said she'd call your mom. You two don't have plans, do you?"

I shook my head. "No, not that I know of. I haven't even thought about the weekend."

"We were also making plans for the _beginning of school yea__r_, bash. There's a huge bonfire down at the beach. My dad has to get the permits for it, but they throw it every year. You're definitely going. Your mom and Phil have gone before. It's fun," she continued to explain her conversation with her mom. It really did seem like fun and I would most definitely go.

Eric must've overheard her. "Oh, yeah! The bonfire. When is it, this year?"

"Not this coming weekend, but the next," Alice told him. Everyone else entered the conversation, reminiscing about the past bonfires that they attended.

Apparently, Phil's whole team shows up, amongst numerous kids from school, especially all of the guys from Edward's team.

While my attention was mainly on Alice, I overheard one of the guys whisper, not so quietly, to Edward. "So, Cullen, got yourself a nice piece of ass over there."

I felt Edward jerk away from me. As I turned my head to see what was going on, I saw his fist collide with Tyler's shoulder. "Watch it, buddy. She's not just some piece of ass."

Tyler's hands went up, surrendering. "Sorry. No harm, no foul."

"Edward..." I placed my hand on his arm.

Sydney piped up. "Who the hell is Edward?"

"I am, you fucktwat. It's my middle name and that's what Bella prefers to call me," Edward explained and everyone nodded their heads. "But that doesn't mean you guys have permission to use it."

"Geez, don't be so uptight, man," Eric mumbled.

The whole table was mostly quiet afterward. A few of the guys were talking about how they hoped their first practice went. I zoned out them out. I still wasn't a huge fan of baseball, but considering Phil plays it and so does Edward, I suppose it was a part of my life, regardless.

After lunch, Edward and I headed to the one and only class that we had together. I got lucky and was able to sit right next to him. Edward requested that I sit across from him so he could look up and see me anytime he wanted to.

I agreed; feeling the same way. He was definitely a sight for sore eyes, when needed.

"I'm off to U.S. History, now." We kissed each other a few times after our class was over. "See you after class."

"You bet. Have fun learning about the history of 1918," he said, jokingly before swatting me on the butt.

I giggled. "Eh, I prefer 1901, much better."

When I walked in, I was assaulted by hateful blue eyes and unfortunately, I remembered her name...Lauren. The one in the same from the grocery store, the boardwalk and now, my first class. I rolled my eyes because now I had to deal with her for my last class of the day. Yay me!

"Ugh, you again. What did I do to deserve this?" She asked no one in particular. I just rolled my eyes and sat as far away from her, as possible.

There was no way in hell I was about to put up with her condescending bullshit.

About ten minutes before class was over, Mr. Andros gave us some free time to skim through our text books so we could get a good idea of what we would be studying for the first half of the school year.

I dreaded the second semester because I absolutely loathed Government.

Lauren had another idea when she decided to plant her scrawny ass down in the seat next to me. "I honestly don't see it."

I glanced over at her. She was eying me from head to toe. I simply ignored her.

"You may be wearing name brand clothes, but that still doesn't make you anyone. You know that, right? You're nobody here and you'll stay that way." I still ignored her. Whatever she had to say, wasn't important.

"Keep ignoring me because before too long, it'll be Anthony ignoring you. He'll realize how ordinary and boring you are. I'll place a wager on it," she said, hatefully.

That got my attention. "What's your wager?" I only bet on stuff I know for a fact, that I'll win and I already knew that she'll dive bomb this bet...pitifully.

"Oh, you're a betting person?" She shook her head. "Okay, I'll bet a thousand dollars, which I'm sure you don't have..." If she only knew. "...that you two won't last more than three months, no wait, let's make it two months because honestly, I don't think you two will make it more than another month, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

I chuckled at her. "Awee...how generous of you. You're such a pompous Quim."

"Whatever...I don't even know what that means, but Anthony knows that there's someone better for him; you're just a fluke. You'll see and then he'll come crawling back to date me, again," she said, snidely, grinning at me like she had the upper hand.

I kept my temper in check, wishing for the bell to ring so I could get the hell away from this loon. "Oh, by the way, the bet is on and I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. You never know, you might trip and break them all."

"What's that sup..." And thank goodness the bell rang, cutting off the rest of her sentence.

I sighed in relief when I left the room.

* * *

**A/N: Who wants to know what _Quim_ means? _ The female genitalia._ Check out Wikepedia, the Urban Dictionary and google. It's funny.**

**What do you think Edward's gonna say when she tells him about the bet? Pissed? Laugh?**

**Nothing to rec this week. Started my new job and I haven't had much time to read during the week. I'm trying to get caught up this weekend.**

**Guess what's up next...EPOV...I've gotten enough request to do it and I'm in the process of writing it. I hope to have it up tomorrow. No later than Monday night. Stick with me so you can find out what he has to say.**

**Thanks Bunches for sticking with me.**

**Love y'all**

**~Stephanie~**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm groveling...I'm sorry. I've been so tired from starting my new job. It's draining me. I'm actually having to use my brain.**

**Anyway, GUESS WHAT? We have an EPOV...Hope you like it and I've decided that every few chapters or so, I'll keep doing an EPOV.**

**This isn't beta'd, so any mistakes are mine. If there is any, it's because I'm tired and was probably seeing double. It is pre-read, though, from the FABULOUS Loopylou992. I send a dozen pints your way and a huge bottle of the best wine, EVER!**

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Enjoy!**

**Update: 8/29/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 12**

**EPOV**

* * *

I couldn't help but walk through the halls of school, with a huge smile on my face. Bella had made me the happiest guy...ever. When she said she wanted an_ us,_ I couldn't help my internal reaction. All I wanted, from the moment I laid eyes on her...was her. I knew she'd be the one for me. Everything that happened before Alice had her vision of us together, were feelings I was having on my own and when Alice told me about the vision, there was no way I was backing down from pursuing Bella.

The first night I kissed her, I thought my heart was going to explode. I already knew I loved her, but I didn't want to scare her away. It was too soon for me to admit it and I knew she'd been through hell with her past relationship, so I've kept my mouth shut. They may be three small words, but they meant something bigger than just eight little letters. I only hoped that when I got enough courage to tell her, she'd feel the same way.

Our first day of school was something else. I didn't expect Tanya to pull her holier than thou attitude with her. Honestly, if Bella was a little more assertive with putting her in her place, I probably would have laughed in Tanya's face. She would have deserved it. Tanya's done nothing but pursue me as long as I can remember and refusing her advances, only led to more aggressive ones. That girl didn't understand the meaning of the word _no. _Anyone who refused her, just became more of a challenge.

.

.

.

When I thought back to my conversation with Charlotte at the restaurant, all I could do was shake my head at her absurd remarks.

"_Anthony, I can't believe you're doing this to me...To us. I thought all you needed was time and with me gone on vacation to Europe, that would have been enough. What changed your mind? I thought you loved me?" All Charlotte was doing, was pissing me off. I was ready to turn and walk away from her, but I needed to make myself clear._

_I shook my head at her. "First of all, I'm not doing anything to you or us," I said, roiled with anger. "You've done nothing but manipulate me during our whole relationship. You always thought I had to be at your beck and call. You never let me have time with my friends or even my family. When I told you I wanted time, I was wrong. I'm done with you. I've found someone else that's treating me with respect and she loves my family."_

_I knew what I was saying about Bella, wasn't true, but I only hoped that one day it would happen._

"_You can't say that, I won't let you. I love you and I know you love me. Don't do this!" She demanded, reaching out to touch me, but I moved away from her. "I'm telling you, don't."_

"_Fuck you, Charlotte," I hissed, through gritted teeth. "You don't get to control me like you tried to do before. Find someone else to be your little bitch."_

_Apparently, my dad heard everything I just said to her because he made his appearance known as soon as the last word left my mouth. "Everything okay out here?"_

"_Yeah, Dad, I'm done. Bye Charlotte." I walked away, urging my Dad to follow me and he did._

_My Dad clapped me on the shoulder. "You okay, son?"_

"_Yeah, she's just...I'm just glad I ended things with her. She's still trying to control me even though it's over," I explained, walking through the door when he opened it._

After that night, I dreaded having to see Charlotte at school. I wasn't sure if she'd try anything, but considering it was the first day of school, so far so good.

"Hey, Cullen, what's with the smile?" My buddy Zack asked as I sat down in my seat next to him in our elective tech course.

"I'm in love," I said, smiling over at him.

He smiled back. "Um...weren't you just with that chick, what was her name, Charlotte?"

"Yeah, before school let out for summer, but she was a controlling bitch. Watch out for her, man, she might head for you next," I teased. I knew Zack wouldn't go for her, but who knew what Charlotte would do.

"Oh, screw that, she better not even look my way," he retorted, chuckling.

We were quiet for a few minutes, watching as the rest of the class came in. "So, who's the new girlfriend?"

"Her name's Bella. She moved here from Washington State a couple of months ago. Her step-dad and my dad are best-friends," I explained, smiling at the vision of her face in my head.

He nodded. "That's cool, man. I hope things work out. You seem really happy."

"I am. She's like no other girl I've ever met," I said, feeling like a swooning fan-girl. I could do cartwheels down the halls if I could get away with it, but I was a guy and guys just don't do stuff like that.

When the bell rang for class to be over, I was the first to exit the room. I wasn't caring whether or not I was late to any of my classes; every minute I spent with Bella, was another minute I craved her touch and her lips. I was whipped already and we hadn't even gotten to the point of being intimate with each other. I was already a walking billboard for teenage hormones.

.

.

.

I met Bella at the library. I wasn't sure if she knew where it was, but it took longer than I expected for her to get there. Every time I looked at her, I always got this weird feeling in my stomach. She was too good to be true.

When we first sat down at the table, I couldn't keep my hands or lips off of her, but she stopped all my fondling and we talked. The conversation we had, turned out to be the best one we've had yet. She wanted to be with me in every way eventually and in my head, I was doing the happy dance because I couldn't wait. I wouldn't push her to do anything she wasn't ready for. Heck, I was nervous myself, but thinking about us being each others_ firsts,_ only caused me to want time pushed forward faster. I was eager, but like I said, I won't push her.

When school was finally let out, I met Bella at her classroom. She looked a little smug about something and irritated at the same time. "What's wrong with you?"

"Lauren, that's what's wrong," she answered, reaching for my hand and leading us out of the school.

"What'd she do?" If she so much as threatened her in any way, she was going to hear a few choice words from me. _ Why do I get all the crazies coming after me?_

Bella shook her head. Then she stopped and looked up at me. "You might get mad at me."

"No, I won't. What happened?" She looked a little nervous to tell me, but I knew whatever was said or done, I couldn't stay mad at her.

She sighed heavily. "I made a bet with Lauren. A thousand dollar bet that we'd still be together in two months. She seems to think she's more suitable for you and suggested the bet, so I took her up on it because I knew we'd still be together after two months." She shrugged her shoulders. "Easy money."

I laughed. She honestly thought I'd be mad at her. "Where is she? I'll double that bet."

"You're not mad?" She looked confused, but I planted a wet sloppy kiss on her lips.

"Hell no. Maybe this will put her in her place and maybe she'll stop trying to think she has one over on you. She's right up there with Tanya thinking she's better than everyone else," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist as we walked toward our cars.

When we approached the cars, we walked between them. I leaned against my truck and pulled her into me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down to kiss me. I opened my legs and scooted down so that I was close to the same height as her. She stood between them, pressing her body against mine. I was quickly becoming hard and I knew she could feel it, but she never said anything.

We stood there making out like two horny teenagers until we heard a throat clear behind us much like this morning, although, I knew it wasn't a teacher. "You two, I swear. Is this what I have to look forward to all the time; you two swapping spit every chance you get?"

Bella and I pulled apart, smiling at each other. Bella turned around to look at my sister. "Yes, as a matter of fact, get used to it because your brother has the best lips and his..."

"Okay, okay, I don't wanna hear it," Alice said, putting her hands up in surrender. "Are we ready? You're coming to our house, right?"

"Sure, I can hang out for a bit. I've got homework already," Bella said, stepping away from me and pulling her keys from her backpack. She stepped back toward me and raised up on her tip-toes to kiss me. "I'll meet you at your house."

I climbed into my truck and palmed my dick when Bella pulled out of her parking spot. I rubbed myself a few times and sighed. I was gonna start losing brain cells soon if I kept getting hard without any relief. I was already jacking off every night before I went to bed and waking up, doing the same thing over again.

I knew Bella had a little experience when it came to anything sexual and the same went for me. I never really had the desire to take it any further. I suppose I was holding out for the right girl and she finally fell into my life.

Just thinking about the experience she does have, I would like to do two things to Anthony. Thank him first for screwing up and then, if I could, beat the hell out of him, but I knew that would never happen. Vampires were way too strong and if I even tried to do anything, I'd be the one getting my ass beat or worse yet, killed. I couldn't do that to Bella. She had quickly become everything to me in such a short time. I just hoped he never showed his face around here.

.

.

.

I pulled into the driveway, shortly after Bella and Alice. We headed directly into the kitchen for drinks and snacks. I wasn't sure what we were doing, but all I was concerned about, was being with my girl.

.

.

.

Tuesday came and it was another typical day. I decided to park further away from where I usually parked because I didn't want anymore animosity from Tanya. She could take _her _parking spot and shove it up her ass.

"Anthony, are you not talking to me, now?" Charlotte asked as I passed her in the hall on my way into class.

I ignored her and continued on my way. "You'll regret this. I know you're with that girl now. What does she have that I don't have?"

I turned toward her, seething at the fact that she was even talking to me. "Charlotte, I'm gonna ask you nicely. Leave. Me. Alone? I won't ask you again. We're not friends and we won't ever be...ever." I started walking away from her, but thought better of it when something else came to mind, turning back to her. "And as far as I'm concerned, I'm not regretting anything except the fact that I went out with you. I feel sorry for the next fool who gives you a chance. A little advice, stop being a controlling bitch and trying to run everyone's lives. If you try to talk to Bella or me, again, I'll go to the principal and tell him you're harassing us."

"You wouldn't," she said, unbelievably.

"Oh, yes, I would. Try me," I said, turning and walking away from her. I only hoped she took what I said, to heart and left me alone and never started anything with Bella.

.

.

.

Class went pretty quickly, not without glares from Charlotte and a few of her friends. I didn't care, though. As long as I had my girl, my family and the few close friends I had, I'd be fine.

That night, before Bella went home, we had a little time to ourselves. We got a little carried away to the point I was nearly dry humping her against my car. I wasn't sure how much longer I could last. _ Is there such thing as spontaneous sexual combustion?_

That night after she left, I took the longest shower that I've ever taken. I couldn't seem to keep the image of Bella down on her knees, taking me in her mouth or her below me as I pushed my dick inside of her. I could almost feel it as I pumped my hand up and down. My hips had a mind of their own as I sped up my movements. I kept imagining her moaning and screaming out each time I thrust into her; her body arching off the bed as she took every inch of me.

When that coil started building in my lower stomach, Bella was above me, riding me. Her tits were bouncing, lusciously, in my face; my hands on her hips, guiding her over me. I thrust up into her, hard and fast. She kept in tune with me and the rhythm we were keeping pace with, caused the feeling to build more intensely. As soon as she leaned back and placed her hands on my shins, her chest arched up into my face. My fantasy of this happening, was causing my hand to move at top speed before I came all over my shower wall.

I leaned my forehead against the wall, catching my breath. I couldn't believe how graphic my imagination was becoming. They were my utmost desires and fantasies that I hoped that one day, would come true.

* * *

**Wellllll?...let me know what you think.**

**I know I said two chapters a week, but I don't think I'll be able to do that. Maybe on the weekends. I hate to tell you one thing and end up doing another. I really am sorry, though. I didn't realize how tired I would be in the evenings after work. And to think, I'm on my ass all day, but I honestly think it's from having to use my brain so much and sit in front of a computer scanning tons and tons of expensive jewelry.**

**I do hope you liked EPOV.**

**Thanks for reading. LOVE Y'ALL! You're the bestest!**

**I haven't been reading much this week at all. Sorry no rec's, just a few authors.**

**.**

**.**

**Loopylou992**

**lizzylillyrose**

**momma2fan**

**JMBC**

**TwiStarJunkie**

**mamasutra**

**MasonCullen**

**Pardonthepun**

**bnjwl**

**mustlovertp**

**.**

**.**

**~Stephanie~**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long. I'm still trying to get use to being back into the work force. It's tiring, I tell ya. I don't wanna do shit around my house or even cook.**

**Anyway, here's more of our love-birds. It's spicing up a little bit from here on out. Hopfully it's picking up some and I hope I'm still leaving everyone wondering what the heck is gonna happen next.**

**Love all the reviews. Keep them coming.**

**This is not beta'd. All mistakes are mine, but it is pre-read by the wonderful Loopylou992.**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT.**

**Enjoy!**

**Update: 9/2/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 13**

**BPOV**

* * *

On Wednesday, mom had made my appointment for me. I was going first thing in the morning and missing the first part of school.

Edward pouted when I told him. I also didn't tell him what the appointment was for. I didn't want to get his hormones in an uproar over the prospect of us sleeping together anytime in the near future. We were still new in our relationship and I was still working on the_ being read__y,_ part.

I was currently sitting and waiting for the doctor to re-enter the room after I got dressed. She walked back in a few minutes later, carrying some pamphlets. "Okay, Isabella, now that we've gotten the uncomfortable part over with, I have a couple of choices for you to choose from." She handed me the pamphlets. "As you can see, you have a pill and the Medroxyrogestrone Injection."

I scanned over the pamphlets, paying more attention to the one with the long ass name. "What's this one?"

"That's Medroxyrogestrone; also known as Depro Privera or the shot," she explained.

"What's the effectiveness of both?

She reached for the pamphlets and opened each of them, pointing out their percentage of effectiveness. "As you can see, the shot is 99% effective, whereas the pill is 99.9% only if taken properly. The shot, on the other hand, is administered every twelve to fourteen weeks. If you're forgetful, the shot should be your choice."

I retrieved the pamphlets and started reading over the side effects between the two. The shot seemed to have more side effects and the pill had a higher effectiveness. It may only be a .9% higher effectiveness, but it was still more. "I think I'll give the pill a chance. I'm pretty good with remembering and I could always set an alarm on my phone."

"Okay, I'll get you a prescription written up and you can be on your way. Just make sure that once you start taking them and if you start having any major side effects, you call the office immediately." She stood from her chair and reached out to shake my hand. "It was great meeting you. Your mom talks about you a lot when she's here."

"It was great meeting you, too. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," I said, hopping down from the examination table.

She smiled at me. "We aim to please. I'll see you in six months for a check-up to make sure everything's going smoothly."

On my way out, I paid my co-pay and got a note for school to excuse my tardiness. When I made it to school, and Edward saw me, you'd think I left for another part of the country months ago and just got back.

The rest of the week went smoothly. Edward and I were inseparable and Lauren hated it. I found it comical, on the other hand. What made it worse was when Edward approached her and said he'd double the bet. She stormed away from us like we had the plague.

Friday rolled around and it was our weekend for shopping and getting ready for the bonfire the next weekend. Again, Edward and I spent as much time together, as we could, but I had dedicated this weekend for just the girls.

So, Friday after school, Edward followed me home. He wanted as much time with me as he could get before I was wisked away.

"I think I'm gonna sneak through your bedroom window tonight. I'll barely see you all weekend." We were in the media room with the TV on, but we really weren't watching it.

My mom and Phil weren't home yet and wouldn't be for a while. They were out for their weekly date night. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Why not?" Edward pushed me back onto the couch and settled himself between my legs. "C'mon, please?"

"Silly boy. I'm sure you could find something to keep yourself busy this weekend." Edward was kissing and lightly sucking all over my neck. He would occasionally dip down to kiss and lick along my collarbone and the top part of my chest.

He was trying to work me up; it was working, but I wasn't so sure how far I was willing to let things go.

I felt him thrust forward; feeling how much he wanted me at that particular moment. "I don't want to," he mumbled into my chest.

All conversation ceased when he thrust forward again. I felt him right where my body wanted him. I moaned. "You like that?"

We were getting more and more brave with each other and speaking what we thought. "Yes," I whispered, giving him a small nod.

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at me. He slowly thrust into me a few more times before capturing my lips with his.

As he continued his movements, one of his hands began to trail soft touches down my arm until he reached my hand. He linked our fingers together and brought my arm above my head. "You feel so good," he whispered against my lips.

He released my hand, slowly moving down my arm until he reached my left breast, cupping it and giving it a light squeeze.

We both moaned in unison.

I felt my nipples harden further at his touch. We were getting too carried away, but I wasn't caring at that moment.

He started easing his hand under the hem of my shirt. "Can I?" I gave him a slight nod, answering him. He reacted like a little kid in a candy store.

My shirt was up and over my breasts; his breath caught when he looked down at my bra covered nipples. He looked like he didn't know what to do with himself.

I repeated his earlier words. "You like?"

"Like is the wrong word. More like love. I love you; all of you."

I was stunned completely silent. Tears immediately started flowing, not knowing what to say. I knew my feelings for him were strong, but was this actually what love felt like? I thought I was in love with Anthony, but with Edward, everything felt different. It felt right. I wasn't sure if at that moment, I was ready to say it and I didn't want it to be because our current position on the couch.

Edward reached up and wiped my tears away. "Hey, no crying. I meant what I said, I love you and not because you're letting me see your tits. Heck, you still have your bra on." He tried joking with me to lighten the mood.

"Can we sit up?" Edward moved so I could sit up. I turned to face him. "I'm sorry. These are happy tears. I don't know..."

Edward placed a finger over my lips. "You don't have to say anything and in other people's eyes, I've said it too soon, but I know what I feel. I also know what you've been through and I can wait until you're ready to share the words with me."

I nodded. "And I will." More tears started falling. I wiped them away vigorously. "You make me feel it in the way you're around me. The way you touch me, all of it. And I love you, too."

Edward pulled me into his arms, placing a kiss on top of my head. "I know you do; I can feel it, too. I just didn't know if you were ready for us to start saying it. We've only known each other for five weeks and been together for two of those five and I feel like I've known you my whole life."

I pulled back from our embrace, looking up at him. I, all of a sudden, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me, so I turned, facing forward on the couch. Why I felt that way, I didn't know. Maybe it was because at that particular moment, I wanted to attack him and rip his clothes off.

"Nope, not gonna happen." Edward grabbed my legs and pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him. He then grabbed my face between his hands. "What's wrong?"

I tried to shake my head to indicate that nothing was wrong, but he wasn't having it. "Tell me."

I sighed and smiled at him. "It's stupid."

"No it's not; whatever it is. Nothing you say to me is stupid. Now, tell me," he demanded. "Please?"

"I wanted to attack you," I whispered, feeling my face begin to heat up from my embarrassed confession.

He chuckled at me. "Well, that can be arranged; just say when." He pressed his lips to mine and I couldn't help wrapping my arms around his neck and grinding myself against him.

Just as soon as we started getting hot and heavy, again, we heard my mom call for me. "Shit! I didn't think they'd be back so soon."

I hopped up off his lap, pulled my shirt back down and plopped down on the couch with my feet laying over his lap so that I could hide his erection. I grabbed the remote and turned the volume up just a little. "In here!" I yelled out to her.

A minute later, my mom and Phil came walking into the room. "Hey, you two."

"Hey," Edward and I both said.

"I thought you two were goin' out?" I queried, scooting up further on the couch to lean against the arm.

Phil walked over to the racks full of DVD's. "We just grabbed something to eat. We've both had a long day."

I knew that tone. They were back home early so they could get to work on the baby makin' business.

"We're just gonna head up to our room and watch a movie. We didn't mean to interrupt," mom said as she walked over to me and placed a kiss on my forehead. She did the same to Edward. "I don't care how late you stay, bud, but remember, Bella's all ours this weekend."

Edward chuckled. "I remember. I might survive one weekend without her."

Phil grabbed the movie he was looking for and started heading for the door. "Night, you two."

"Night," we called out. I could see the enthusiasm in my mom as she skipped toward the door.

Edward let out a throaty chuckle. "That was enlightening."

"Tell me about it." Then I remembered I didn't tell him about them trying for a baby. "Oh, shit," I sat up and scooted closer to him. "I forgot to tell you, they're trying to get pregnant."

"Oh, wow. That's pretty cool, but isn't your mom a little too old for that?"

I smacked him on the arm. "Hey, she's only thirty-six. Plenty young enough."

"Sorry." Before I knew what was happening, I was being pushed back onto the couch, with Edward hovering over me. "Now, where were we?"

Edward left around midnight. We were getting too carried away, for our own good. We only got as far as him lifting my shirt again, but this time, the cups to my bra, were pulled to the side while he devoured my nipples.

I never thought you could be brought to orgasm with nipple play alone, and Edward had quite the sticky situation when he left.

The next morning came way too early for my own liking. Mom came barging in around nine in the morning, chanting over and over. "Get up, get up, get up. C'mon sleepy head, plenty of stuff to be bought today."

"Too early," I grumbled as I rolled over to my back. "Five more minutes, please?"

Mom chuckled at me. "Not a chance. If you want to see Edward at all, sometime today, you'll get up."

I sat up, rolling my eyes because if there was any chance at all to see Edward today, I'd let them drag me to hell and back. "Fine I'm up. Can I at least shower first?"

"Yes," she said as she pulled my curtains open. When she turned to look at me, her eyes went wide. "Good God. That boy is gonna be the death of me."

"What?"

"You'll see when you look in the mirror. You may wanna wear your hair down today," she suggested before heading for the door. "I'll go make you a quick breakfast."

I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. When I turned the light on, my eyes damn near bugged out of my head. I couldn't help but scream. "EDWARD CULLEN!" Like he could hear me.

Sleeping or not, he'd be getting an ear full before my shower.

I ran to my bedside table, grabbed my phone and pressed the number three.

"_Hi, baby,"_ he said, groggily.

"Edward Cullen, I should kick your ass," I stated, firmly.

"_What'd I do?"_ he asked innocently.

I huffed into the phone. "You know exactly what you did. You marked me, again!"

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I love you," _he pleaded.

I couldn't stay mad at him. "I love you, too, but I look like a floozy now."

"_You're my floozy; it shows that your__ taken,"_ he defended.

"No more on the neck, please. I just hope it's gone by Monday. I don't wanna deal with everyone staring at me," I said, whining a little. I kind of liked the hickey, but I didn't want to tell him that and I preferred them to be somewhere else.

He chuckled. _"Let them stare all they want."_

"Edward," I sighed. "Never mind. I need to get into the shower before my mom comes looking for me. She might release me on good behavior so I could see you later. You wanna see me later, don't you?"

"_Absolutely. Call me when you get a chance. Go shower; I love you,"_ he replied and I smiled at him even though he couldn't see me.

"I love you, too. Bye, Edward."

"_Bye, baby."_

After our call ended, I headed back to the bathroom. When I undressed, I shook my head. "Anthony Edward Cullen," I whispered to myself in the mirror.

There were four huge hickey's across my chest. One on each boob, at the top, and two on my chest. Silly boy was definitely a boob man.

I showered, dressed and made my way downstairs. Mom and Phil were sitting at the table when I walked in. I heard them whispering back and forth. Then, I could feel them looking at me while I pulled the juice from the fridge. "I can feel you two staring at me."

I heard both of them snicker. "How's Edward?" Phil asked as I made my way over to the table.

I scowled at both of them. "He's fine."

Mom kept glancing at me over her coffee cup. I could see that she was smiling. I knew I was about to get teased about the hickey on my neck.

"It sucks to be you, today," Phil stated as he shoveled a bite of his omelet into his mouth.

"Why's that?"

"Shopping sucks, that's all," he paused for a second, looking over at my mom, "Renee, remind me to check the barracuda in the pool today. It doesn't seem to be sucking strong enough."

I knew what he was doing. I was already starting to get embarrassed from his over usage of the word –_ suck._

"Maybe you could have Edward look at it," mom suggested.

"I don't know. He might suck at it." Phil glanced over at me. "What do you think, Bella? Does Edward...suuuuck..." He stressed the word. "...at pool repair?"

I was completely flame red by now. "Mom, you told him?"

I knew she did. There was no denying it one bit. "What?" She asked innocently.

Phil hurriedly reached over and moved my hair away from my neck before I could move away. "Holy Shit! I'd say that boy sucks."

I smacked his hand away. "Cut it out. Like you two didn't hurry home last night to get it on. I'm not ten anymore. I know what it takes to make a baby."

"Well, just make sure Edward conceals the evidence from now on. Outta sight, outta mind." Phil was playing his dad card on me this morning, but I didn't mind. It wasn't often that I stepped out of line.

"I've already bitched at him about it. He was just staking his claim on me because we'll barely see each other this weekend," I explained before reaching over and grabbing one of the croissants my mom had set out.

Mom giggled. "Young love. I'm just glad to see you two getting along. I thought, at first, we would have to endure World War Three."

"Definitely no World War Three, between them two; that's obvious," Phil retorted. He cleared his plate of his food and stood from the table. "I'm outta here, ladies. I'm heading over to the stadium to meet Carlisle and the rest of the team. We've gotta get a practice schedule set up before the season begins."

"Okay, I don't know when we'll be home, so plan on getting some lunch and maybe dinner, while you're out," mom said, getting up from the table and walking over to Phil. He pulled her into a hug and started planting kisses all over her face. "Maybe you should mark me like Edward did Bella."

I knew she was only joking. "Mom, please," I pleaded. "I'm a teenager; it's a given."

Phil dipped my mom over and she squealed. "Oh, God. Please take that somewhere else. Hello! Teenage daughter in the room."

My phone chirped, signaling a text message. My mom looked over at me. "Betcha it's Edward. That boy is so smitten with you."

I shook my head and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

_**The first of many text of the day. I already miss you like crazy. I love you. Can't say it enough. X E**_

I smiled the cheesiest grin, ever. My heart was doing a little butterfly dance as I thought about what to say back.

_**I love you, too. And please don't get mad if I don't respond right away. X B**_

He responded right away. His fingers must have been moving a mile a minute.

_**I won't. Promise. Have fun. Love you. Xx E**_

I shoved my phone back into my pocket when I stood from the table. "Are we picking Esme and Alice up or meeting them?"

"We're meeting them," mom replied. She gave Phil one last kiss before he waved over his shoulder at me.

"Can we take my car? If we end up driving to umpteen million places, me and Alice can ride together and you ride with Esme," I suggested. I wanted to have some alone time with my friend, if possible.

She nodded. "Sure. And we will be going to umpteen million places, as you say."

"Thanks for the warning. Are you ready?"

"Yup, are you?" She asked in return.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just stuck my license in my back pocket. No need to lug a purse around."

I also had my credit card, but I was hoping to sneak off with Alice to Victoria Secret so I could get some new panty and bra sets. If Edward and I were starting to move our relationship further...need I say more.

* * *

**A/N: Another GD chapter down. Chapter 14 has been sent out to my pre-reader. Tomorrow night, hopefully, I'll update it. Still got a whole lot of typing to do. Chapter 16 will be another EPOV. I promised every few chapters and I'm hoping to fulfull that promise.**

**Let me know what you think. I always love to hear what you have to say.**

**Just wanna make a few shout outs to some other awesome readers that are also authors.**

**mustlovertp**

**kittyvatcamp**

**momma2fan**

**Loopylou992**

**MasonCullen**

* * *

**Thanks again, Y'all, Love youse.**

**~Stephanie~**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hope everyone had a great Labor Day! I had to work. I now have a headache, but wanted to get this out. Chapter 15 is underway. Tomorrow, Maybe?**

**No much to say.**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT!**

**THANKS LOOPYLOU992...Love ya Woman!**

**Update: 9/3/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 14**

**BPOV**

* * *

When we left to meet Alice and Esme, our meeting place was the party supply store. We spent close to two hours in there trying to figure out which colors would be best. They ended up agreeing on something neutral.

Four hours later, four new text messages from Edward and about eight different stores. No, I'm not exaggerating; our moms were being shopping fanatics; we were finally stopping for lunch.

Alice and I had gib-gabbed about anything and everything. Her new topic of conversation was Jasper Whitlock...Edward's teammate.

Apparently, she'd caught sight of him at school and instantly fell in love. "He's the one," she said as we grabbed our trays of food at the food court in the mall.

"I can see that. Have you even talked to him, yet?" I asked, feeling like a horrible friend because I've been so caught up with my relationship with Edward, that I didn't notice her swooning.

She sighed and lowered her head, looking down at the table. "No. I'm too chicken. I'm afraid I might make a fool outta myself and say something really revolting."

"Well," I started, smacking my hands together to get her attention. "That's gonna change. You'll go with me to Edward's first practice and when it's over, we'll introduce ourselves. How's that sound?"

"You're really gonna make me do this, aren't you?"

I smiled over at her. "Absolutely. I've finally found a happy place in my life, with your brother. It's your turn; you deserve it, too."

After lunch, we were able to sneak off. We agreed to meet up with our moms an hour after we trekked off.

We headed straight to Victoria Secret. I only wanted a few new sets of underwear. Who knows, maybe Alice would buy some, too.

Alice's eyes grew wide when she noticed where we were headed. "You're gettin' something for my brother, aren't you?"

I snickered at her. "That's for me to know and him to find out."

"So, are you two doin' it, yet?" She raised her eyebrows at me, waiting for me to answer.

"Um...no. I'm still not ready, yet," I confirmed, simply.

She nodded. "I see, so what's with the huge hickey on your neck." My eyes popped out of my head. "Don't think I didn't notice. That suckers big enough to be seen across the mall."

"Crap. I thought my hair would keep it covered up. He sucked them all over my chest, too; Damn Dyson Vacuum," I muttered. I felt a little embarrassed, but it was only Alice I was talking to and she was my best-friend. It still felt a little odd, though, talking to her about stuff like this, considering Edward was her brother, after all.

Alice giggled at me. "Dyson Vacuum, that's funny. I guess hoovers don't suck good enough anymore."

"Nope. You've seen those commercials where the Dyson is sucking up a bowling ball. I feel like your brothers...I don't know what. And then he acted all innocent when I called him this morning."

"He's far from innocent," Alice retorted.

We both giggled and set out to complete my task, which turned out beneficial for both of us. Alice ended up buying a few things for herself, also.

We met up with our moms, an hour later and made our way out to the cars. We were pretty much done for the day. All we needed to do was get everything unloaded and into their pool house, where they were storing everything until the bonfire.

"All done. All that's left is the food, which will arrive on Friday and the company we rented the grills from will be delivering them on Friday afternoon, also," Esme explained as we made our way back into the house.

As soon as we walked in, Edward came barreling through the front door and straight to me. He picked me up into a huge bear hug. "God, I missed you."

We heard someone clear their throat. "Hello to you, too. No hello for your own mother."

Edward kissed me before setting me down. "Sorry mom. Hi, mom." He walked over, hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Renee." He kissed her cheek, too and I honestly think she blushed.

"Where've you been?" Esme asked Edward as we all started walking toward the front door.

"I was at the stadium with Dad and Phil," he explained, reaching out to take my hand.

"Ah," Esme said. "By the way, son, take it easy on poor Bella's neck. She looks like a vampire attacked her." I flinched at her words. I knew my mom didn't know anything about the whole supernatural beings walking the planet, but it was still odd to me to say something like that in front of her.

My mom giggled. "Just like a Dyson vacuum, that boy."

Alice busted out laughing. "That's exactly what Bella called him." She walked over to Edward, patting his on his shoulder. "I think you have a new nickname now, Dyson."

Edwards face turned bright red, but I could see the tell tale sign of a smile on his face. It was a proud smile, nonetheless.

After a couple of minutes more of teasing Edward and his sucking powers, my mom was bidding everyone their goodbyes. "Mom, you mind driving my car home? Edward can drive me later."

"Sure; be home by midnight." I handed her my keys. "Behave," she whispered into my ear as she hugged me.

"I will; love you."

There was still a few hours of sunlight left, so we decided to lounge down by the beach. Alice loaned me one of her swimsuits so we could get in the water.

Alice and I were busy tag-teaming a crossword puzzle while Edward laid next to me with his arm draped over my stomach. I could tell he had fallen asleep.

"A six letter word that an umpire calls during a baseball game?" I asked unknowingly because I didn't know all of the baseball lingo like Alice and Edward did.

"Strike," Edward mumbled into his arm.

I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair. "I thought you were sleeping." Alice grabbed the crossword from me and wrote in the answer.

"I was," he rolled over. "...until now. Wanna go for a swim? It's fuckin' hot as hell out here."

"Sure," I turned to Alice. "You wanna come?"

"Nah, you two lovebirds go ahead. I'm gonna finish this." She pointed to the crossword.

Edward and I walked hand in hand, down to the water. When we reached the edge, he scooped me up bridal style and teased me about throwing me in. "You throw me in and no boobs for you."

"Damn; you drive a hard bargain." He relented and walked us both into the water. He waded around for a minute before he put me down. We both dunked under the water to cool off.

I stood still while Edward swam back and forth a few times. On this fourth trip back, he dove under and came up right in front of me, smiling like a loon. He reached up and dipped one of his fingers into one of the cups of the bikini top I was wearing. He was being pretty brave with all the people that graced the beach and swam near by.

I glanced around to see if anyone was watching us. "Edward, someone could see."

He moved his hand and instead picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. "You're close enough that no one can see, now."

"I'm not taking my top off." I didn't know what he was thinking, but I sure as hell wasn't about to get arrested for indecent exposure.

He chuckled at me. "That's not what I meant. You could kinda, sorta move that little piece of fabric to the side so I could see one of those luscious tits."

Of course I complied and reached down, moving the fabric over far enough to release my nipple. They were both hard as rocks.

I was perched far enough up his body, so he tilted his head downward and sucked my nipple into his mouth. He groaned. "God, I love your tits." He pulled back enough to look at my chest. "I love these, too." He ran a finger over the hickeys that were on full display for everyone to see. It was obvious he loved the fact that they were on full display for everyone to see.

I had forgotten all about them until I changed into the bikini. I wasn't caring anymore, who saw.

"Yeah, well, you shoulda seen your sisters face when I walked out of the bathroom. I thought her eyes were gonna pop outta her head."

I pulled Edward's head toward me so that I could kiss him; wrapping my legs tighter around him. I felt him snake his hands around my waist and down to my ass where he gave both my butt cheeks a firm squeeze.

"I love this, too." He eased on hand further down, slipping a finger inside my suit bottoms. "...and I know I'll love this." He didn't move his finger too far, just enough to barely graze my opening.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head. Edward hadn't ventured that far south on my body until now and all I wanted him to do, was move his finger further up so that I could feel it better.

I pivoted my hips a little to see if he would get the hint. I leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Touch me."

Just from his small touch, I was in flames, wanting the friction. "You sure?"

I nodded my head. "Mmhmm...can I touch you, too?"

"I thought you'd never ask and from now on, you can touch me anytime you want," he simply said, pressing his lips to mine as he moved his right hand between us and slipped into the front part of my bottoms. The water was up to our chests, so no one could see what was going on. Thank goodness the water was calm enough that we weren't getting slammed with wave after wave.

I felt him twist his hand so his palm was pressed against my clit.

My breath hitched when he slowly pushed one finger inside of me. I could feel how tight I was around him and could have passed out from the sensation that coursed through me. "Oh, sweet Jesus."

"You could say that, again." He began, slowly, pushing and pulling his finger, in and out of me. "Fuck," he whispered in my ear. "I'm so fuckin' hard, right now."

We captured each others lips as he sped up his movements. I knew when that tingling sensation started to build, I wouldn't last long, but the feeling felt much more intense than what I've experienced before. When he hit that certain spot, up inside of me, I started whimpering. "Right there. I'm so close."

He adjusted his hand and with one firm press to that sweet spot...I came.

I dropped my head to his shoulder. "Good God, you'll kill me when we start having sex."

"Maybe we shouldn't start then. I plan on keeping you around for the rest of my life. You ruined me for anyone else that first night we kissed," he said and I knew exactly what he meant. I was ruined, too.

I unwrapped my legs from around him, keeping my arms around his neck. He leaned his head down to kiss me as I released my arms from around him, smoothing them down his perfectly tanned chest.

As I moved my hands further down, I felt his stomach muscles tighten when I reached the edge of his swim trunks. He knew what I was aiming for.

We were keeping our eyes locked on each other until he felt me push my right hand into his trunks. His eyes closed when I wrapped my fingers around his hardness.

With my other hand, I pushed the edge of his trunks down, pulling him out so I could get a better grip, but his trunks weren't far enough down; I wanted him completely out.

He wasn't huge, but definitely not small and I could kick my own ass at that moment for even comparing his size to Anthony's. That was just plain wrong. Edward was bigger, though. Just a tad longer and a tad wider in girth, just from what I could remember from my past experience.

Not too big, just right. I knew when the time came for us to be together, I was going to feel like I was being ripped in two when he shoved that thing in me. I was sure when the time came, though, he'd be gentle and try to make me as comfortable, as possible.

_All girls feel that way, their first time, right?_

I gripped his erection, again, once his trunks were far enough down as Edward rubbed his thumbs across both of my breasts.

I began to stroke him from base to tip, his head lolling back when I squeezed my hand to give a little pressure. He reached down and squeezed my hand a little harder to indicate he wanted a firmer grip.

When I complied, Edward began thrusting into my hand as I stroked him up and down. "Oh, fuck. This is gonna be quick," he mumbled.

Both of us had labored breathing as we worked together to bring Edward's orgasm to the surface.

His face began to contort, groaning as I felt his cock begin to pulse in my hand.

I continued to pump him up and down, but slowed my movements as he came down from his orgasm. "I think I might pass out."

"Why?" I asked innocently. I had felt the same way moments before when he brought me to my own release.

"You've completely ruined me. I can't even imagine jacking my own shit, now, anymore. It won't be the same." He growled at me. "All of you is hypnotizing."

I playfully smacked his chest. "You're so silly. I'm sure your hand still works just fine."

Edward bent over, slightly, to pull his trunks up. All of a sudden he had me wrapped in his arms, again. He placed a kiss on my neck. "Yours are much better, though."

We waded around in the water for a little while longer. I had been contemplating whether or not to tell him about my birth control. I wouldn't start until the following Monday, I hoped, but I was feeling obligated to share the information with him.

So, I took a deep breath, kissed his neck and began. "Remember when I was late for school the other day?"

"Of course. You never did tell me why, though," he replied, giving me a weary look.

I gave him a slight smile. "I had a doctor's appointment."

"Yeah?" I nodded. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, more than okay. I went in for an exam to be put on birth control," I said, shyly.

His smile was blinding. "And when is this said birth control taking effect?"

"Well," I slowly said. "I can't starting taking it until my period starts, which should be Monday, by the way. So, after taking it for seven days, it would be at its full effectiveness."

I was sure his curiosity about the birth control conversation, wasn't over, so I waited. I knew he had a million things running through his head about us finally having sex. My body kept telling me I was ready and truthfully, my heart was following its lead.

He leaned his head down and placed his lips on my neck, kissing it until I felt him take a mouth full of my skin into his mouth. I wanted to pull away, but my body was protesting. When I felt him begin to suck, I jerked my head away. "Hey, aren't I marked enough?"

"Not from my perspective," he retorted snidely.

"You're definitely a horny, Dyson," I remarked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

I was considering sucking a huge hickey on his neck just to get back at him, but I'd save it for another part of his body. Preferably his thigh or maybe a chain of them across his stomach. I'd wait until the day before his practice because I knew he'd have to change in the locker room and all his teammates would be able to see my handy work.

Edward started walking toward the shore, carrying me. "You're starting to burn."

"I like where I'm at, right now," I said, whining a little.

"I do, too, but I don't want you getting too burnt. You'll be whining about it later, if you do," he simply stated, giving my ass cheeks a squeeze.

I retaliated by latching my lips to his neck and sucked. I didn't do it too hard. "I have other places you can suck, too, and by the way, you can mark me all you want."

I released my suction on his neck and sure enough, there was a mark, but no where near as dark as the ones he left on me. "I'll keep that in mind."

We made it to the shore while he was still carrying me. "You can put me down, now."

"I will when we get to our spot," he said, giving my ass another squeeze. This time, his actions were in full view.

When we walked up, Alice was shaking her head at us. "Tsk, tsk, you naughty, naughty people."

Edward smiled widely and I pretended I didn't hear her reprimand. Alice wasn't done, though. "I know if I saw you two, other people did, too."

"Alice?" My eyes were wide with curiosity about what she saw. "What'd you see?"

"Who cares what she saw," Edward said when he laid down on the oversized beach towel, by my feet.

"I do. There could've been someone from school out here," I complained as I sat down next to him. He immediately wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me over to him. "How the hell could this not bother you?"

Alice giggled. "Oh, Bella, it's not a big deal. I'm just teasing and your guilty conscience is giving you away."

"Alice Cullen!"

"Yeessss..." she sing-songed and laughed at me. "You're so gullible."

I huffed and sat up, grabbing the sunscreen. "Here, since you said I was burning." I shoved the bottle into Edward's chest. "You can rub it on me."

Once Edward starting lathering the sunscreen on, I looked up and saw Evan jogging towards us. I had officially met him a couple of times over the last few weeks. He reminded me a lot of Emmett, although, he had the same hair and eye color as Edward, but was huge and cuddly looking, like Emmett.

I didn't think much of the _Masens_, anymore, but every once in a while, a memory would get triggered. They were brief, but they were there.

"Hey, you three, mom said...Holy shit, Bella! You lose a fight with a Dyson vacuum cleaner?"

Alice let out a boisterous laugh. "That's Edward's new nickname, now."

I turned to look at Edward because I heard him snicker. "You're just so proud of yourself, aren't you?"

"Well..." he shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say?"

Evan laughed and shook his head. "You guys are too much. C'mon Dyson, mom wanted me to tell you guys that dinner will be ready in thirty minutes."

* * *

**A/N: A little touchy, feely. NICE! And we've met Evan. He'll be making more apprearances now that he's been introduced. More characters will be surfacing soon enough. This is 99% canon pairings...LoL.**

**Let me know what'cha think.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Love Y'all,**

**~Stephanie~**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I won't bore you with any lengthy A/N. Hope you like it.**

**Thanks Loopylou992 for catching some of my mistakes. I'm sure there might be a few more I didn't catch, but OH WELL!.**

**JSYK-I know nothing about baseball. I'm just going by the seat of my pants and throwing stuff out there. If anyone's a fan of baseball, I know I've messed up the seasons...so on and so forth. I apologize. Can we pretend that I know what I'm talking about? Please?**

**Thanks for reading. **

**Enjoy!**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT!**

**Update: 9/08/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 15**

**BPOV**

* * *

After dinner that night, Edward and I decided to head out for a little while before he needed to take me home.

There wasn't anything we really wanted to do, so Edward found a pretty secluded area of the beach and parked. There were a few other cars in the lot, but he parked as far away as he could. "No wandering eyes," he said seductively.

Edward grabbed a blanket from behind his seat and reached for his door handle. "Stay there for a minute."

I watched as he ran around the back of his truck and climbed in. He spread the blanket out then jumped out on my side and opened my door. "Me lady." He did a little bow and extended his hand out toward me.

"Such a gentleman," I said, smiling. I put my hand in his while he helped me out.

He led me around to the back and motioned for me to climb up. Once I was in the back, he climbed up next and sat down. I noticed the blanket was spread out over a mat. "You think of everything."

"Oh, this," he patted the mat. "...it's to keep my gear from sliding all over the place when it's back here."

"Ah," I nodded and sat down next to him.

He laid down and looked up at me. "I love it out here at night when it's not so hot and you can see so much of the sky. The stars are actually pretty bright even though we're pretty close to the city."

"It's quiet, too," I said, laying down next to him; my head was laying on his stomach.

He ran his fingers through my hair and I felt him move, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "I know it's still a little over a month away, but I wanna do something nice for your birthday. Is there anything you want?"

I maneuvered around so that I could look up at him. "Just you; that's all I want."

"You already have me," he said, moving his head closer to mine to kiss me.

I pulled back to look at him. "Surprise me, then."

He wrapped both his arms around me to pull me closer. I draped one of my legs over his middle to get comfortable. We laid quietly, staring at each other for a few minutes before Edward moved one of his hands to the base of my neck, lacing his fingers through my hair. Our breathing was becoming heavier as he pulled my face to his. He whispered. "I love you," before he brought his lips to mine.

I whimpered when he eased his tongue into my mouth. Our tongues met, caressing and massaging each other with fervor. We were becoming desperate for each others taste and touch.

I moved my free hand up to his chest and snaked it around his neck, pulling him with desperate need. I pulled back and whispered to him. "Oh, God, I love you, too. More than I ever thought I could."

We mashed our mouths together, again. I wanted him so badly, but there wasn't a chance in hell I'd allow us to give up our V-cards in the back of his truck. Especially by the beach, plus, I needed my birth control to be effective before we ventured that far.

Edward rolled me to my back and settled between my legs. I pulled my knees up, clamping them against his waist. "I want you, so bad, right now."

The seriousness in his tone was invigorating. Goosebumps riddled my entire body.

I let out a shuddering breath. "I want you, too, but not in the truck."

"I know," he whispered, thrusting into me, giving me proof of his want.

I moved one of my hands from around his neck and palmed his cheek. We looked each other in the eyes. "Soon; I promise, but that doesn't mean we can't do other stuff until then."

Edward smiled and thrust against me, again, causing me to release another shuddering breath. "Thanks for today."

"What for?"

"For being you; for everything, but mainly for letting me feel you and loving me in return," he explained.

I smiled up at him. "I do love you. It was unexpected and some would say that I'm just a naïve sixteen year old with a huge crush, but I'm not. You make my heart race when I'm near you and especially when we touch each other. I love you and know it's true because I've never had this feeling before. I thought I was in love with Anthony, but now I know that the love I felt for him, wasn't unconditional much like the way I love you. Five weeks of you being in my life, helped me open my eyes and finally see the bigger picture and love the way I should and be loved the way I'm meant to be. I've dreamed of being loved this way since I started imagining what true love's all about. You did that for me."

I knew I was blabbing, but I needed to say how I really felt, and it was now Edward's turn to release a shuddering breath. I could see un-shed tears glistening in the corner of his eyes. "You said it all; everything I feel and hoped for. I don't need to repeat anything you said because I feel the same way. Thank you for seeing me as me and not someone that left you broken and afraid to love again. Age doesn't matter; true love comes in all shapes and sizes. I'm not going anywhere and when you're ready, I wanna make love to you and show you just how much I really do love you."

"I want that, too." I pulled his head down to kiss him. Edward began thrusting into me, causing the perfect amount of friction where I needed it. He littered my neck and chest with licks, kisses and sucks as he continued pressing into me. We were only dry humping, but the feelings that were running through my body, was phenomenal.

I whispered to him. "You're gonna make me cum, like this, again."

He grunted as he pushed against me over and over until I held my breath. My orgasm took over, ripping through me like a hot and cold flash at the same time. My body tingled and pulsed continuously.

Edward stilled as he groaned through his release. I knew he was in a huge, sticky situation, but I'd do it all over again, in a heartbeat.

We were both pretty sweaty due to the humidity outside and our heavy, clothed, workout, so Edward rolled off the top of me, taking deep, long breaths. He draped an arm over his eyes while we both laid there.

I sat up and looked over at him. I reached up and ran my thumb over this bottom lip, repeating my earlier promise. "Soon."

Edward moved his arm and looked up at me. "I don't care how eager I sound, I can't wait. I hate cumming in my pants. That makes the third time that's happened; I'm just glad I do my own laundry so I don't have to get weird looks from my mom."

I giggled at him. "I'd say so." I poked him on his, now, flaccid dick.

"Woman!" Edward reprimanded, grabbing my wrist and pulling me down on top of him. "I'm not cumming in my pants, again. From now on, no clothes or something else, but not this again."

"Is that a promise?"

"Let's find out tomorrow because right now, I need to get you home before I don't have any balls left to cum," he said as he moved to get up. "This is fuckin' disgusting." He grumbled some more, standing up. "C'mon, I don't want you getting grounded because we can't keep our hands off each other."

Twenty minutes later, Edward dropped me off after a long kiss goodnight.

Mom and Phil were already in bed when I entered the house. I went straight to my bathroom to shower.

Edward and I didn't see each other the next day. His dad had him doing odd jobs all around the house and by the time he was done, it was already too late in the evening for either of us to see each other.

Monday morning, I woke up a cramping mess and to my period. I knew I was supposed to start, but I still hated it. Hopefully my birth control would help with a lot of my cramping.

I drove to Alice's to pick her up. I noticed Edward's truck was still in the driveway. He didn't mention anything the night before about not feeling well.

When they both came walking out, I realized, he was planning to ride with me and Alice.

I got out and walked straight into his arms. "I hate mother nature, sometimes."

"Let me guess, you started your period," he said, placing a kiss on top of my head.

"You two must really love each other if you're talking about periods. Don't guys hate stuff like that?" Alice asked, scrunching up her nose at Edward.

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, if it has to do with her, I don't care and it doesn't gross me out like other guys get. I'm whipped when it comes to her; she says_ jump_ and I say _how high_."

"Gag! Okay, can we go, please?" Alice seemed like she was in a huge hurry and I think I knew why...Jasper.

I looked up at Edward. "You mind driving?"

I pulled away from him, holding out my keys. "Nah, c'mon. I hope you don't mind me riding with you today; my dad's taking my truck in to be serviced."

"I don't mind at all." Edward walked me to the passenger side of my car and helped me in. Alice had already climbed in the back seat. I was wanting the day to be over with already because I felt like someone was kicking me in the stomach, repeatedly.

When Edward slipped into the driver seat, Alice gasped. "You're letting him drive your car? No Fair!" she whined, crossing her arms over her chest, slumping into the back seat.

"Sorry, Ali, if it wasn't him, I was gonna ask you. How about tomorrow?" I suggested.

"Your car?" She seemed pretty eager to drive my car. _What was the big deal about __my_ _car, anyway?_

"Yes, my car. I feel like crap and really don't feel up to driving." I turned back around in my seat and fastened my seat-belt. I pulled a blister pack of Midol from my purse, my bottle of water and took the two pills, hoping they'd ease my discomfort.

Edward reached over and gave my knee a small squeeze. "You sure you're okay to go to school?"

I nodded slightly. "Yeah, I don't like missing school unless I necessarily have to."

"Okay." And then he chuckled. "I was wondering when you'd let me drive your car."

"You can thank mother nature," I grumbled before leaning back in my seat to take in the scenery on the way to school. Edward kept his hand in mine unless he had to shift gears.

We pulled into his usual spot at school. Tanya was just stepping out of her car when Edward turned the ignition off. I didn't normally see her around school and I was quite thankful for that.

She leaned up against her car and watched as Edward got out and walked around to let me and Alice out. When he opened the door, Tanya started her bullshit. "Well, isn't this...I don't know, cozy?"

"Fuck off, Tanya," Alice said as she climbed out.

Tanya stood at her full height, which was only an inch or two, taller than me. "Anthony, tell your sister she better watch her mouth."

Edward ignored her. He wrapped his arm around my waist and tried leading me into the school until Tanya grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him back. "Tell her!"

I wasn't in the mood for anyone's bullshit, especially hers. I reached over and grabbed her thumb, pulling it back until she whimpered and let go of Edward's arm. "If I were you, I'd keep my hands to myself. Touch him again and we'll see how far that modeling career of yours goes with a deformed hand."

She yanked her hand away. "How dare you!"

"How dare me, what?" I stepped closer to her. "I don't give a shit who you think you are. To me, you're a nobody and have no respect for anyone. Not even yourself. Touch my boyfriend again, and I'll take that thumb of yours and..."

"Bella, don't. She's not worth the words; let's go," Edward said, urging me to walk away before I used her head as a jack stand under my back tire.

Her facial features turned livid, much like the first time we had an encounter. "I could have your boyfriend, if I wanted him."

I looked between Alice and Edward. Both of them were shaking their heads. "I don't think so, Tanya. Actually, I know you'd never have a chance with me. Just stick to your own group of _has-beens _and leave us alone." Edward grabbed my hand and started pulling me along. "C'mon, Alice."

I looked back over my shoulder and witnessed Alice flipping Tanya the bird as she walked off. I smiled, doing a mental fist bump.

"Remind me not to park there anymore; I hate that bitch," Edward said as he pulled the door open for us to enter.

Thank goodness the rest of the day turned out okay. Lauren left me alone, surprisingly. I honestly thought she'd have plenty of snide remarks about the fading hickey on my neck, but she left me alone.

By Wednesday, I was feeling a whole lot better. When the alarm on my phone went off at eight o'clock, Alice got curious. "What's the alarm for?"

"My birth control," I said, watching her out of the corner of my eye.

"How long have you been on it?" she asked as she watched me push the pill through its opening and pop it in my mouth.

I took a sip of my water to wash it down before answering her. "I just started them this past Monday."

"Oh," was all she said before we made our way downstairs from her room. I had shown up at her house earlier than usual because I woke up feeling so much better and wanted some chit-chat time with my mom before we left the house. I went to Alice's as mom left for work.

The rest of the week went pretty much the same. We started parking on the other side of the parking lot to avoid anymore confrontations with Tanya. Edward did the same when he would get to school earlier than us.

By Friday, my period was over and I was thankful. I was craving more of Edward's touch and couldn't wait to feel it.

After school, we went directly to his house because we needed to help finish setting up for the bonfire. I looked forward to having a little fun.

Saturday rolled around and people started showing up around two o'clock. There were volleyball games, badminton and even football games, going on. I joined in on a few of the badminton games. I was actually having loads of fun.

During the week, Alice and I were supposed to attend Edward's first practice, but we didn't make it. I was still feeling a little blah on Tuesday when it happened. Edward said he understood and would let it slide just that once.

That brought me to now; I was currently dragging Alice over to where Edward was standing, talking to most of the guys from his team. I had been gradually introduced to the rest of the team over the last week except Jasper. My current main target.

Alice was protesting, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her have her crush from afar. I only hoped Jasper found her as intriguing as she found him.

"Hey, guys." Edward snaked an arm around my waist. Everyone else said their _hellos _to me until I realized Alice wasn't' next to me.

I turned to see where she was, but caught her slowing backing away from the group. "Alice," I said, moving away from Edward to grab a hold of Alice's arm to pull her over to the group.

She mumbled something under her breath and stepped up next to me. I rose up on my tip-toes to whisper in Edward's ear. "Introduce Alice to Jasper."

He turned, brows knitted together in confusion. "Trust me."

Edward chuckled. "Hey, Jasper, you haven't met my sister, Alice, yet, have you?

Jasper stepped forward, in front of Alice. "Can't say that I have." He extended his hand toward her. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Alice's face turned bright pink. "It's nice to meet you, too, Jasper."

Everyone slowly backed away, leaving Alice and Jasper to talk.

As we walked away, Edward snaked his arms around me from behind. He placed a kiss on my neck. "What was all that about?"

I glanced up, noticing our parents were watching us. All four of them had smiles on their faces.

I turned to look up at him. "Alice saw Jasper last week in the hallway at school. She's been smitten ever since."

"Ah," he said. "...my sister finally found her true love," he stated, leaning his head down to kiss me. "You do realize that our parents haven't taken their eyes off us in the last few minutes, right?"

I nodded. "I noticed." I reached down and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, let's go see what they're up to."

We walked over to where our parents were standing. "What're you guys up to?" Edward asked as he sat down on the bench next to his mom. He pulled me down to sit on his leg.

"Oh, just watching everyone have a great time. Good turn out this year," Esme said. She reached for her bottle of water and took a large drink.

"Have you guys been playing any games?" I asked, moving to sit on the bench between Edward's legs.

Phil shook his head. "Nah, that's for all you kids. Evan's out there playing some volleyball. Did you see his new arm candy?"

Edward and Carlisle both chuckled. "No, what's her name?" Edward asked.

"Her name's Rosalie Hale. She just moved here from New York. She's a sports editor for the newspaper," mom explained. "Look, there she is talking to that group of girls. She's the tall blonde haired girl; she's really beautiful. I think Evan finally met his match."

Carlisle chuckled. "Yeah, the last girl was a real piece of work. What was her name, Es?"

"I think it was Victoria or something like that." Esme shivered. "She gave me the creeps."

"I think she was a lesbian and the only reason she gave you the creeps was because she paid more attention to you or Alice when she came over," Carlisle retorted.

We all laughed when Esme shivered, again, then my mom piped in. "C'mon Es, you know that flaming red hair did it for you."

"Shut your pie hole, Ren. I think she was more your type," Esme bit back, sarcastically.

"Nah, I like mine about six foot – two, brown hair and with a dick." Mom described Phil to a _'T', _and I couldn't believe the language my mom was using. I sat listening with my mouth practically hanging open.

Carlisle put his two cents in. "I'm sure she had a strap-on, somewhere. Probably in that huge purse of hers."

Edward and I sat listening to their playful banter. Our heads were going back and forth like we were at a tennis match. It was pretty hilarious to listen to our parents to be so juevenile.

"She did have somewhat of a masculine build. I think she had more muscle tone, than me," Phil joked back.

It was funny watching our parents back and forth like this and knew when a joke was meant to be a joke.

When the sun started to set, Edward and I made our way down to the waters edge. I sat between his legs with my back to his chest. His arms were wrapped around me; one of his thumbs was ghosting over one of my nipples. They were both hard, of course. His touch always sent me into over-drive.

We sat watching as the sun went down. I was so content with all of my surroundings. My love for Edward was growing more and more everyday.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear. I never wanted this moment to end, and I would never get tired of him telling me he loved me.

We were peaceful and serene as I felt my body melting further and further into his. It was like we were one in the same and now, I entirely believed what Alice said about Edward and I belonging together.

I pulled his arms further around me. He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "I love you, too. More than anything."

We heard the fire poof to life, behind us. Our little bubble was broken by Evan yelling to get our attention. "C'mon you, two. It's wienie time."

We got up and made our way over to where all the long skewers were laying and the platters upon platters of hot dogs, were.

I noticed Alice was flanked by Jasper. They seemed to be getting along really well. A lot of the other guys were with their girlfriends. Tyler and his girlfriend, Trish, whom went to a different school than us, were in front of us in line.

Evan pushed his way in behind us with Rosalie under his arm. Edward and I already knew who she was, but hadn't been formally introduced. "Who's your friend, Ev?"

"I'm sorry. Rosalie, this is my brother, Anthony, well, Bella and a few others call him Edward, but that's a whole other story. Anyway, and this is his girlfriend, Bella." Evan gestured toward each of us as he did introductions.

I extended my hand toward her. "Nice to meet you, Rosalie."

Edward shook her hand, too. "You can call me, Rose."

"You enjoying yourself, Rose?" Edward asked as he started reaching for stuff to fix his hot dog and other side items.

I noticed Rosalie giving me side glances like she was assessing me for something. I brushed it away from my mind. Something seemed all too familiar about her, but I left it at that and figured it was because we just met.

We all made our way over to the bonfire to roast our hot dogs. I hadn't ever done anything like that before. It was pretty cool and I couldn't wait until the next bonfire. It wouldn't be until Halloween, but I still couldn't wait. Everyone was supposed to dress up in costume and there was a contest for the best dressed.

After our hot dogs were roasted, we made our way over to one of the many picnic tables. Rosalie sat next to me. "Evan said you moved here from Washington?"

I nodded, being polite. "Yeah, Forks. You ever hear of it?"

"No, but I've been to Seattle a few times. Beautiful city," she said, taking a small bite of her potato salad.

"I've only been in Seattle, through the airport, a few times." Rosalie seemed to be on my every word. Not that there was too many of them, but her interest in me was causing me to wonder.

"You still have family there?" She asked, looking over at me.

I nodded, again. "Yeah, my dad's still there. I hoped he'd move down here."

"Leave any old boyfriends behind?" She was definitely starting to get into the more personal stuff and I wasn't so sure I wanted to share that with her.

I nearly choked on my food. I shook my head. "No, no boyfriend left behind."

I wasn't sure if I was comfortable enough with where our conversation was going until she spoke again. "Anthony seems really nice." I winced when she called Edward, Anthony. I had been doing so well until she started questioning me about old boyfriends and saying the name_ Anthony. _It was like she did it on purpose to get a reaction out of me.

"Edward. I call him Edward and yes, he's really nice; I love him." I felt the need to correct her, more than anything.

Edward chose that moment to chime into our conversation. "Awe, baby, I love you, too." He kissed the side of my head.

Rosalie smiled at our interaction, although, it seemed forced.

"So, Anthony, when's the season start for you?" Now, I was really curious about Rosalie. If she was a sports editor, wouldn't she know when the baseball season started?

"In a few weeks. Our first game is the third weekend in September," Edward replied.

Rosalie nodded. "That's pretty cool. Maybe I could come to one of your games with Bella."

I chose that moment to pull Edward away to talk to him. "Um...Edward, can I talk to you for a minute...privately?"

"Sure; excuse us. We'll be back in a few minutes. Save our spots, please?" Evan nodded and scooted closer to Rosalie.

I grabbed Edward's hand and dragged him to the other side of the bonfire. We were out of ear shot and line of sight of Rosalie and Evan.

"Bella, what's goin' on?" Edward asked as soon as we stopped on the other side of the fire.

I shook my head. "I don't know about Rosalie. She keeps asking all sorts of questions."

"Like what?"

"Where I'm from and if I left any boyfriends behind. She even keeps calling you Anthony after she's been told I call you Edward. I even corrected her." I knew I was whining about it, but she was throwing me off guard with all her questions and I didn't like it.

Edward cupped my face in his hands. "Baby, she's new in town. Maybe she's just trying to get to know you."

I sighed, giving him a pouty look. "Fine, but when we go back to the table, you can sit on the other side of me, okay." He pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "Baby, you can't shun everyone who's just trying to make friends." He lowered his head and gave me a small kiss, again. "Actually, why don't you go over by Alice and Jasper to be a little nosy. I'm kinda curious about how well they're getting along."

I smiled up at him. "Okay, me too. Who knows, maybe Alice finally has a boyfriend."

Edward chuckled at me. "Yeah, and maybe you won't worry so much anymore about leaving her out."

"You're right." I moved my arms up around his neck and pulled his face to mine. When I pressed my lips to his, he wrapped his arms around my waist.

What I intended to be a small kiss, turned into a full blown make-out session, until, we heard someone whistle behind us. We detached our lips from one another and turned to see Edward's friend James. "Get a room, you two."

Edward mumbled, _"I wish,"_ only loud enough for me to hear.

James walked up to us and fist bumped Edward. "What's up, James?"

"Oh, you know, enjoying the view and watching you two play tonsil hockey," James said jokingly, but I noticed he also looked me up and down when he said he was enjoying the view.

Apparently Edward didn't notice or didn't want to. "Well, gotta get play time when I can."

I playfully smacked Edward's chest. "What? It's true."

"I was actually getting ready to take off, man. I'll see you at school on Monday. Thanks for the festivities." James then looked over at me. "It was good seeing you, Bella."

I didn't say anything. I only nodded.

"See ya Monday. Thanks for coming." They fist bumped again before James walked off.

Edward and I made our way back to the table. I picked up my plate and drink so I could sit by Alice. Rosalie noticed I wasn't going to sit there anymore. "Leaving so soon?"

"No. I'm gonna go sit with Alice; I've barely seen her all day," I replied, giving Edward one more kiss before I turned to walk away. "Love you."

"Love you, too," he said back to me.

I walked off looking for Alice. I spotted her sitting with Jasper by our parents. She looked so happy. I only hoped that Jasper liked her, too.

When I plopped down on the bench next to her and sighed, she turned toward me. "What's wrong with you? Where's Edward?"

"He's over with Evan and Rosalie. I need to talk to you, but it can wait until tomorrow so we can have more privacy," I said, pushing my food away. I lost my appetite over Rosalie's nosiness.

"Everything okay with you and Edward?" She asked, draping her arm over my shoulder.

I glanced up to see where Jasper was only to notice he was engaged in a conversation with Phil. "Yeah, we're fine. Better than ever, actually."

"Good. I noticed that Lauren's been keeping her distance from you, but not without sending death glares your way."

I chuckled at her. "Who gives a shit. She's gonna lose that bet. She'll be out of a thousand dollars. Did Edward tell you that he tried to double it, but she said she was good with the original bet?"

She nodded. "I still can't believe you two are doing that to her? It's hilarious just thinking about it."

"Well, as soon as I win that bet, you and I are gonna have fun spending that money," I giggled. "Stupid bitch."

"That's my girl." She hugged me, smiling.

"Enought about me, how's things going with Jasper? You two look cozy," I asked, looking over at Jasper to see if he had started paying attention, but he was still talking to Phil.

She let out a dreamy sigh. "He's everything. More than I thought he would be; he's so smart."

"He's pretty easy on the eyes, too," I said, teasingly, shoulder bumping her. And he was easy on the eyes. He had the bluest of blue eyes that I've ever seen. His hair was wavy blonde and had the perfect build. I had Edward, though and he was all I would ever want.

"That he is. I just can't wait to get my hands on his..."

I cut her off before she could even finish her sentence. "Please, Alice, do not elaborate on where you want your hands. I know Edward and I subject you to some of our encounters, but I can do without the fantasies you have of you and Jasper."

"Who says they're fantasies? You know as well as I do that I know these things," she said, looking over at me with a smug look, tapping her temple.

"Alice, I love you, but you're strange sometimes," I retorted, laying my head on her shoulder.

"I just love having my best-friend confess her undying love for me and calling me wierd in the same sentence," she said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "And I love you, too."

I raised my head up. "I called you strange, not wierd."

"Isn't strange and wierd the same thing?"

"Yeah, I suppose, but you give it a whole new meaning," I said, trailing off of our conversation. I did truly love her and was very glad she came into my life.

For the rest of the night, I did notice Lauren glaring at me a few times. She even attempted to sidle up next to Edward like she had some claim on him, but he nudged her away as politely as he could. It just wasn't in him to be an asshole.

Luckily, we left shortly after. I was making plans to spend the next day with Alice. I needed to tell her about Rosalie and the bad vibe I was getting from her, so when Edward pulled into my driveway, we had a nice, long tongue dancing contest – neither one of us winning; we were both so worked up that if Edward didn't leave, we'd end up out on the front lawn for the whole neighborhood to see. It was bad enough that it already felt like someone was watching us. I didn't want to say anything to ruin our make-out session.

It was probably a neighbor getting an eye full. I hoped they got what they were looking for from watching us.

* * *

**A/N: Well, what do you think of Rosalie? Think she's up to no good or just trying to make friends with Bella?**

**Let me know what you think. AND I want to apologize for the delay in my updates. It's been a very long week. Yesterday, 9/7/2012, my granddaughter was born...Alicia Khristine - 7lbs**.** 5oz. at 29 inches long. Yup, her daddy's 6ft. 5in. She'll be nice and tall.**

**Working on an EPOV, just like I promised. I hope to have it available Sunday.**

**Love Y'all,**

**Stephanie**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Not much to say. Long week and it's only Wednesday night.**

**I do wanna thank everyone for reading and reviewing. If I don't reply, do know that I read them all.**

**AND thank you so much for all the _Congratulations_, from everyone on my new granddaughter. I'm a Nonna for the second time. She's so sweet and cuddly and her brother loves her so much. He calls her Wicia...he can't say Alicia.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Pre-read by Loopylou992 - not beta'd...all mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT!**

**Update: 9/12/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 16**

**EPOV**

* * *

I could never tell Bella enough every day how much I loved her, but the day she told me she was starting birth control, I felt like a selfish prick, but my whole world just sealed itself together. It made me feel like I was on top of the world. I was honored at the same time because she wanted us to be each other's first. Yes, I'm more than just a little horny and lately, that's all I think about.

The bonfire turned out to be a success. Bella was creeped out by Rosalie, but I hopefully eased her conscience some by telling her that Rosalie was new in town and was only trying to make friends. I hoped that's all it truly was. Evan seemed to be happy and as long as my brother was happy, I could be happy for him.

Bella's birthday was coming up within the next few weeks and I wanted to plan something special for her. If things went as planned, I hoped that what I had in the works, that would be the night. We were getting more and more comfortable with each others bodies and starting to explore more. She was going to make me explode before too long.

I was planning on a private night with her away from our parents after we celebrate with them, of course. Where? I wasn't quite sure yet. I was old enough to get a hotel room, on my own, but I wasn't so sure if Bella's mom would allow her to be out all night. I couldn't be so lucky.

"Hey, man, what's got you thinking so hard, over there?" Jasper asked as he sat down next to me on the bench in the locker room. We had just finished our practice and were changing before we headed out. Alice and Bella were waiting for us.

I shook my head at him. "I'm trying to figure out the best way to get some alone time with Bella, on her birthday. I want it to be special."

"She's turning seventeen, right?" He asked, kicking off his cleats and pulling off his socks.

"Yeah," I replied, pulling my shirt over my head. "I can't think of anything I could do except take her out for dinner and a movie, but we're having dinner at her house and cake afterward."

He nodded at me. "Mind if I suggest something and maybe I can help you out a little?"

"Sure, anything can help. I want it to be a surprise, so the more help I have from you and you alone, the better. That means Alice can't know everything, though," I said, glancing at him and smiling.

"That's cool, man." He pulled on his shorts and slipped on a pair of sandals. "Well, we've got this alcove down on our private beach. It's really secluded. It's surrounded by huge boulders and maybe you can set up a romantic picnic."

I, all of a sudden, felt very embarrassed. "I was hoping it will be our first time, if you know what I mean."

He chuckled at me. "Wow, the way you two are around each other, you'd think you were already fuckin' like rabbits."

I let out an amused chuckle, shaking my head. "No, no fuckin', yet," I said, slipping on my Razor flip-flops and grabbing my bag. "That's what I was hoping for, for her birthday, to ya know...do it."

"You can say _fuck,_ dude, 'cause that's what it is," he said, looking amused.

I back-handed his bicep. "I'm not gonna fuck her on her birthday; I wanna make love to her, you dip-shit." Then I looked straight ahead and started walking toward the doors. "The fucking will come later."

Jasper laughed. "You're too fuckin' funny." He caught up to me before we reached the doors and stopped me. "So, how's my idea sound? Lots of private time and maybe some nookie while you're at it."

I looked at him like I was about to punch his lights out. "Dude, just messin' around," he said, putting his hands up in defense. "Okay, in all seriousness, I can help get it set up for you. Just text me and let me know when you're on your way and I can get all the stuff down there. Just bring me what you want and I'll be your fairy godfather for the night."

"You'd seriously help me out?" If he'd help me out, I'd make sure Bella had the best night...ever.

"Yeah, and I promise not to say too much to your sister to give it away, but I can't lie to her. She's too smart for her own good and somehow knows things before I can even say them," he said, lighting up as he talked about Alice. If he only knew the truth behind her knowing things before anyone else would.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Okay. I'll get all the stuff ready the night before and bring it over for you. Her birthday's on the thirteenth, so we've got plenty of time to plan the rest out. There's not much really. I already have all the stuff, it's just getting it together without anyone questioning me about it."

"Alright, it's a plan, then. Now, about your sister..." he trailed off as we started walking toward the door. Just like Evan, as long as my sister and brother were happy, then I was happy for them.

When we walked out through the double doors, the girls were engulfed in a serious conversation. I wasn't sure if I should question what was going on, but if Bella wanted me to know, she'd tell me.

Bella smiled up at me as I approached her. "Hey, you. Great practice today."

"Thanks. Everything okay? You two looked like you were having a serious conversation." I tried not to sound too pushy, but my curiosity was getting the best of me.

"We're good. Just talking about my birthday, that's all. Alice wants to have some huge party and I don't want one. I just want the family and immediate friends over, but she seems to think I need to have a big party." She turned to look back at Alice. "No big party, Alice. Just us and our parents. Of course Jasper can come, too, but no one else. I don't need it."

"I thought your mom already had a dinner planned then we'll have cake afterward? I have plans for us, too," I said, wrapping my arms around her from behind, kissing her neck.

Alice and Jasper watched us as we interacted with each other. "Yeah, she does. Dinner then cake. Maybe presents, but that's another thing I don't need. I already have everything I need and want."

"You're so damn stubborn," I said, leaning down and playfully biting her neck. She jerked away from me when I started sucking. "Quit moving, you're ruining my masterpiece."

"That's disgusting. She looks like a tramp when you suck those things all over her," Alice said, scrunching her nose up at me.

"Hey, she sucks 'em on me, too. You just don't see them," I said in defense. Which was true. I currently had one on the lower part of my stomach just before you get to my junk. We were getting pretty frisky yesterday and she was being her normal playful self when she started licking down my stomach and ended up pulling my pants down some so she could suck on my stomach. I wished she'd suck on something else, but it didn't happen.

Alice rolled her eyes when Jasper chuckled. "C'mon, Ali, let them have their fun. I can suck one on you, if you'd like."

"Jasper Nathaniel, if you even think about sucking one of those things on me, you won't walk for a week." Yes, Jasper and Alice were finally official. They were with each other constantly, which freed up a lot of time for me and Bella to be together.

Bella and I laughed at them. "Well, we're outta here. We'll see you guys later."

Alice and Jasper walked one direction while Bella and I walked in the other. I was in a hurry to get home because thinking about what I wanted to do to her on her birthday, was starting to get me hard and hopefully, I could finally get her to suck me off for the first time.

We made it back to my house with only an hour to spare before either of my parents were due home. "You wanna shower with me?"

"Nah, I'll sit in there with you, if you don't mind, while I watch," she suggested. I smiled, loving the idea, even though I'd rather have her in the shower with me, but I'd take what I could get.

We made our way upstairs; me stripping out of my clothes on the way and headed straight to my bathroom. I was kicking off my pants when I reached in and turned on the water. Bella hopped up on the sink and when I turned around, her eyes about popped out of her head because I was hard as a rock and standing at attention. "You were hoping for some play time, weren't you?"

"Just a little, but if you're not up to it, that's okay," I said, stepping over to her and easing myself between her legs. "You wanna watch me touch myself? Because there's no way this thing's going down on its own."

She smiled at me before she crashed her lips to mine. We kissed for a few minutes before she looked over at the toilet. "You wanna watch me, too?"

My eyes grew wide. "Hell, yeah. I can leave the door open and we can watch each other."

This would be a first for us. We had ventured into phone sex, but it just wasn't the same as having the real thing.

Bella hopped off the sink and made her way over to the toilet. She stripped out of her clothes and sat down with one leg propped up on the edge of the sink. I could see how aroused she was before she even got started.

I was so mesmerized by the way she looked and stood looking at her like a thirsty man, lost in the desert. "You gonna get in the shower or what? We've only got an hour."

I smiled and stepped into the shower, leaving the door open enough so we could see each other.

I poured some body wash into my hand before reaching down and gripping my hardened cock. I started stroking when Bella slid her hand down her stomach and slipped her middle finger into her opening. I knew she was gathering some of her wetness to lubricate her clit as she rubbed it for me.

She began rubbing her clit, not taking her eyes off me. The lust that was pouring from her was magnetic. "Slip your finger in and pump in and out for me, baby. I wanna see you fuck yourself with your finger."

She did as I asked, causing her to moan loudly. "Oh, God, Edward," she whimpered, thrusting her finger in and out.

I sped up my movements, but couldn't take it anymore, I had to touch her.

I stepped out of the shower when her eyes rolled to the back of her head. When I knelt down in front of her, pushing her hand away, it was like she already knew I couldn't resist, so she opened her legs wider and let me take over, but I wasn't using my hands. I had to taste her. It would be another first for us.

I leaned forward and swiped my tongue from the bottom of her opening to the top where her clit was nestled between her folds. She jerked her head up, looking down at me. "Oh, Sweet Jesus."

"Mmmm...I'm liking this, baby. Will you suck me when I'm done with you?" I asked before I took her swollen nub between my lips and sucked. Her body jerked like it was beginning to convulse. "Will you, baby?"

She hadn't answered me, only breathing heavily, so I pushed a finger inside of her and began pushing and pulling it out. I didn't want to hurt her using more than one finger. I knew it would break her hymen if I stretched her open too much and I didn't want that; I wanted to save that for the night of her birthday. "Answer me, baby. Will you suck my dick when I'm done?"

"Yes! Yes! Anything; I'm close. Oh, God, I'm close," she exclaimed as I sucked her clit back into my mouth and slowly pushed my finger in a little further than normal. When I felt that soft but rough tissue area, up inside of her, I twisted my hand so I could curl my middle finger to hit her spot. Her body began jerking and her pussy began to pulse around my finger. There was a small gush of fluid that coated the palm of my hand as she froze, allowing her orgasm to take over. It was a sight I wanted to see every day for the rest of my life.

"Jesus, baby. That was pretty intense, huh?" I asked as I stood up to stand in front of her.

"Hell, yeah, it was. Where the hell did you learn to do that?"

"I don't know really. It just came to me and as long as it makes you feel good, I'll keep doing it," I replied, stepping a little closer.

Bella sat up, adjusting herself on the lid of the toilet. She reached out and took my dick in her hand. "You better keep doing it. That shit's addictive and I can't wait for more."

Before she put her mouth on me, she looked up and asked, "You ready for your first blow-job, Edward?"

"More than ready. I've been fantasizing about this for a long time, now," I said, looking down at her as she stroked my dick up and down. She had licked her palm with a little extra spit before she wrapped her fingers around me. "Although I may cum the second your tongue touches me."

She giggled. "You'll be fine. Ready?"

"Yes, baby. God, yes. Please suck me," I begged and fumbled backwards when she engulfed me in one swift move.

Bella pulled away and pushed me backwards, toward the sink. When my ass was resting against it, she dropped to her knees and went back to sucking me.

It was one the best feelings that I had ever felt before, in my entire life. Well, besides the moment Bella told me she loved me. That was right up there at the top of the list.

She began sucking me hard and fast, causing me to convulse much like she did before her orgasm hit her. When she reached up and began to roll my balls in her hand, "Shit! I'm gonna cum, Bella; move!"

She shook her head and sucked harder causing me to burst inside her mouth. I groaned, loudly as she slowed down her movements and waited for me to be completely empty. "Fuck," I hissed as she licked off the last dribble of cum before she stood up and smiled at me.

I grabbed her and switched spots, sitting her up on the sink. "You have no fucking idea what that felt like for me, but woman, you just made my night."

"I take that as a _yes,_ you liked it?" She asked, smiling up at me.

I pushed myself between her legs, my semi-hard dick touching her lower lips, but I knew we wouldn't be doing anything other than what we just did. "I more than like it and I hope you do it...a lot."

"And I do know what it feels like because you made me feel the same way. It's one of the best feelings in the world, other than when you tell me you love me," she said and I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"I was thinking the same exact thing. There's no better feeling than having the person you love, tell you that they love you back, but I have to admit, what you just did, is right up there with it. That was the best first blow-job I could ever imagine getting and I've imagined a lot of blow-jobs, lately. I never did you justice in my fantasies," I admitted, pulling back from our hug and kissing the living daylights out of her.

After a couple of minutes of rubbing each other and kissing, I decided that I needed to get in the shower and actually wash. "I better hurry; my parents will be home soon."

The following Monday at school, I got up the nerve to ask Jasper some questions. I wasn't sure if he had experience, but I wanted his opinion on how I should start out making love to Bella . I knew it sounded like fifth grade questioning, but I wanted to make sure I didn't cause excruciating pain to Bella when I pushed myself inside of her. I may be eighteen, but that doesn't mean have a whole lot of experience in the sex department.

Jasper and I were getting changed before we headed out for practice. All the rest of the team was already out on the field. "Hey, Jasper, you mind if I ask you some personal questions?"

"Sure, man. I don't have anything to hide. What's on your mind?"

"Well, I was wondering if you have experience, you know, with girls?" I asked shyly, looking away so he didn't see my embarrassment.

"I don't know if I should answer that question, considering you're my girlfriends brother," he replied, looking over at me before he tied up his cleats.

"Nah...I'm not asking for Alice's sake, just my own," I said, doing the same as him and tying my shoes.

He chuckled at me. "Are you telling me that you're eighteen and never had sex before?"

"Never mind I said anything." I waved him off before getting up from the bench and grabbing my mitt.

"No, don't be like that. I wasn't making fun. I'm just surprised is all," he said, pulling me back to sit down.

I sighed heavily before I answered him. "Yeah. Please don't tell anyone. I mean, I've had opportunities, but it never happened. Bella's still a virgin, too, and I wanna do things right with her. I'm afraid I'm gonna hurt her. We've messed around, but I'm afraid I might push my limits with her and cause her pain."

"First of all, it'll come natural to you. You're a man. You know where to put it, right? You just need to be easy and not...you know, shove your dick inside of her. Go slow. It won't be all sunshine and roses for her the first time you two do it. She's gonna be in pain, but it'll ease up and the next time you two have sex, it'll be so much better for her. Now, I'm not a girl, so I can't tell you what it'll feel like for her, but I do know it'll hurt. To you, it'll feel like your last meal, you know, your salvation, your means to an end."

Jasper was being the best sex instructor that I've ever encountered. He should be a teacher...in sex education.

"Thanks man." I shook my head. "I just have one more question and it seems really stupid and so, I don't know, it should be a common sense thing, but I'm pretty new at this. Um...what happens if she's not, you know, wet enough down there 'cause when we mess around right now, she definitely doesn't need water for a slip N' slide, that's for sure. Is lube good for the first time, I mean, if we need it?"

"Dude, you really don't know a whole lot, do you? You never looked at titty mags or watch a porno?" He asked, looking confused. "Most guys your age have been jackin' their shit to a Jugs magazine or Debbie Does Dallas."

"I know, I'm deprived. I just usually used my imagination or something; never really into looking at shit like that. With Bella, though, I've got enough stuff for the spank bank to last me a lifetime," I said, chuckling.

"Just get her nice and worked up first; that should do it. Now, you mind if I ask you a personal question, now?"

I shook my head. "No, go for it."

"How far have you two actually gotten with each other? I'm sure you've seen each other naked, right?"

I immediately felt shy to answer the question. Evan had made jokes about masturbation and I've fondled a few girls before and that was about the extent of my experience. Bella was the first girl that I've ever wanted to go much further with and our next step, was the deed...the big deed.

"Well," I said, hanging my head. "We've definitely seen each other naked and we've pretty much been on every base except the home run. We gave each other oral for the first time the other day."

"Have you finger fucked her?" He asked, smirking at me.

I nodded toward him. "Yeah. I only use one finger, though. I'm afraid I'll hurt her too much."

"Believe me, after you two finally have sex, one finger won't be enough for her or you, for that matter," he said, grabbing his mitt and stuffing into the back of his pants.

"How do you know so much? Have you been with a lot of girls?" I was only curious. I wouldn't hold anything against him if he were a womanizer before he met my sister and changed his ways. Everyone has a past, that was for sure.

"Nah, man. I've been with one girl, but our relationship was pretty serious where we experimented a lot with each other. We were together for a couple of years before her parents moved away. I do tend to watch porno's and read a good girly mag, every once in a while. You should get yourself one. You may learn a thing or two from it," he suggested, but I wasn't so sure how Bella would feel if she knew I was getting my rocks off by looking at other tits besides hers.

"That's good for Alice's sake, then," I stated, patting him on his shoulder. "You two are perfect together."

He nodded at me. "Yeah, she knows all about my ex. Maria and I tried to stay in contact with each other, but her dad got transferred to Australia. He was some huge Intel guru and once she got over there and got used to her life, she met someone else."

"Sorry to hear that," I said back, feeling bad for him because to be with someone as long as he was with his ex, then for them to move away, that had to be hard on him.

"Don't be; I'm not. I never met anyone quite like your sister. She's so beautiful and smart. She can be so funny and sensitive at other times. I'm lucky to have met her," he expressed, giving me a huge smile as he talked about Alice.

We walked through the doors and made our way out to the field. I could see Alice and Bella sitting in the stands to show support for us. I wasn't even paying attention to what was going on in front of me until I was hit in the stomach, just above my junk, with a ball.

I dropped to the ground, gripping my stomach, rolling over in pain. All the guys were laughing, even the coach.

I wasn't coherent at all until I felt the soft hand of my beautiful girl, rubbing her hand across my forehead. "Sweetie, I think you need to pay more attention to what's going on in front of you, from now on."

"Yeah," I grunted out. "My pride's more wounded than anything, right now."

"You okay, Cullen? Looks like Tyler got you pretty good," I heard the coach say. "You need an ice pack?"

I groaned, sitting up from where I was laid out on the ground. "No, I just need a minute. You guys can keep laughing at me all you want. I'll remember the next time one of you takes a ball to the gut."

"Awe...c'mon, Cullen, you know it was funny. We've all been nailed with a ball before that's why we're laughing with you, not at you," James said, reaching his hand out to help me. Bella grabbed my other hand and they both pulled me up. The pain was pretty much gone; I was lucky I didn't get hit in the dick.

Today was a practice game and a rival team was showing up for the game. We'd be playing like it was a regular game, but it didn't count towards our line-up. My only problem was, I could see all the guys, from the other team, ogling Bella and Alice. I heard a few of them making comments about bending them over the pitchers mound and mounting them like dogs in heat.

I was trying my hardest to keep my temper in check and not let it bother me because I knew who Bella was going home with once the game was over.

Halfway through the game, it wasn't me that caused the commotion. Apparently, a comment was said about Alice, causing Jasper to jump the guy and start pounding on him.

I rushed over and pulled him off before it got too out of hand. "Woah! Woah! Woah! Jasper, chill, man. You can't get kicked off the team because of some asshole."

"You didn't hear what the fuck he was saying about Alice. He was even saying shit about Bella, too," he said, defensively. "Why aren't you over there beating their asses with me?"

"Because I know who Bella's going home with after we're done here, that's why. It's called trust, buddy. Yeah, it pisses me off, but they're going home with us, not them," I replied, standing in front of him to keep him from jumping the guy, again.

The coach came walking up to us. "Whitlock, SIT! NOW!" I could see the spit fly when he yelled. "You're out the first two games. I can't have you beating every guys ass for saying stuff. I don't care what it is."

Jasper slammed his mitt down to the ground. "Fuck this shit!" He said and stormed off toward the dugout.

I picked up his mitt and ran it over to him. "Dude, you need to chill, okay."

"That guy better hope I don't ever see him outside school grounds. Did you even hear what he was saying? Saying Alice looked like she'd be good at deep-throating and shit. And something about her taking it up the ass like a trooper."

"It's all talk, Jasper," I said, dropping his mitt down on the bench next to him. "You just need to ignore it."

"He was saying the same fuckin' shit about Bella, too, man. That's gotta piss you off, saying shit like that about your girl," he said, his nostrils flaring with his anger.

I nodded at him. "Yeah, well, just think, we're the lucky one's, not him, okay. You can't get kicked off the team. When we're done here, walk right up to Alice and plant a nice fat kiss on her lips and flaunt that she's yours and not his and he'll never find out whether or not she deep-throats or takes it up the ass like a trooper. Just follow my lead."

"How do you do that, man? Be the civilized one and not get all pissed?" He asked, glancing up at me.

"Oh, it pisses me off, believe me. It has to take a lot to get me to react like you. Now, if he were touching her, that'd be a whole different story because the dude wouldn't have a fuckin' hand left," I expressed, slipping my mitt back on so I could head back out to the field. "Catch your breath; I need to get back out there before the coach benches me next."

After the game, I did exactly what I suggested Jasper do. I walked directly over to Bella and grabbed her, planting my lips on her and bending her over for the whole team to see whose girl she was. "Wow! What was that for?"

"Because...some of these assholes need to know who gets to kiss you anytime I want," I said, standing her back up.

"Okaaaay..." she said, looking at me quizzically. "This have anything to do with what happened out on the field?"

I smiled at her guiltily. "Yeah...pretty much. The guy was saying shit about you and Alice and Jasper lost it."

As we left the field, I couldn't help but have a smug look on my face. The guy who Jasper jumped, had a nice shiner and fat lip. I chuckled at him as we passed, mumbling _asshole_ loud enough for him to hear. Thankfully he didn't do anything because I'd do more than give him a black eye and fat lip.

That night, I got my second blow-job.

* * *

**A/N: How ya liking EPOV? He's starting to let his enternal perve come out to play. JSYK...yes he has been deprived. He's been all about baseball most of his life and never really ventured into the sex area. Thanks to Jasper, he knows a little more and as he and Bella get more comfortable with each other, the more he wants to do. I'm usre a bunch of us would like to teach him a thing or two, or three, or four...need I say more.**

**Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think.**

**Love y'all**

**~Stephanie~**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello to all of my beautiful readers. First off, I just want to thank everyone who has been patient with me on my updates. Honestly, it took me about six days to get this typed up. **

**Here is a HUGE THANK YOU to whoever nominated Ghostly Double for fic of the week over at The Lemonade Stand. It was an honor to even be nominated. I never expected anything to ever happen like that for any of my stories, so whoever is resposible, I would love to give you a HUGE virtual hug for it.**

**Looplou992...Thank you for everything you do for me. I know I burn her phone up with text messages over mundane shit and she takes it all. She has a great ear for listening too. She's the best.**

**Moving right along. This heats up a little...just a little steam; enough to make the mirror foggy in the bathroom.**

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Enjoy!**

**Updated: 10/9/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 17**

**BPOV**

* * *

The next day after the bonfire, I spent it with Alice. I told her all about my Rosalie encounter. Alice said she hadn't seen anything involving Rosalie, but would keep a look out if anything came in a vision.

The next few weeks flew by and my birthday was just a few days away. Edward and I had been so busy with school work and his baseball stuff that we had to make time for one another. We understood and didn't make a big deal about our time together. We knew the stuff we had to do was important. Although, I was getting pretty anxious to find out what Edward had planned for my birthday. I already knew what I wanted to happen. I was ready to be with him in every way possible.

I hadn't told him or even hinted about me being ready. Over the last few weeks, we'd mainly stuck with the stuff we had been doing to get each other off. We've also moved things along by using oral. The first time I gave him a blow-job, I thought the poor guy was going to have a heart attack. Now, he can't get enough of it. I don't mind it...well, I really do enjoy giving him pleasure. I love the look on his face as he cums. It's like that first morning piss when you sigh in relief although, he's quite vocal about it. I can't say so much for myself on that part; I'm not very quiet myself. He's also stuck with his word and hadn't cum in his pants since that night in the back of his truck.

Mom and Phil were still working on the baby making. They decided to give it a few more months before they went to a doctor. My fingers were crossed for them. I'd love to have a baby around the house.

Edward's first game was scheduled for the Thursday before my birthday. I was pretty excited about seeing him play an actual game. I had been to most of his practices, but there was something about watching him out there on that pitchers mound that had my heart racing. Baseball was becoming my new favorite sport.

Alice and I rode together to the field where the game was being played. The place was completely packed by the time I pulled into the lot. I had to park clear on the other side of the park, making us walk forever and a day just to watch the game.

When we walked through the gates, we immediately found our parents. They had a small section up front waiting for all of us. I noticed Evan and Rosalie were there, too.

"I don't wanna sit by Rosalie," I grumbled.

Alice nodded. "Okay, we'll sit behind them or closer to the top if you want."

I searched the field for Edward. I spotted him off to the side doing some practice pitches with Sydney, who I learned was the catcher.

Once we were seated away from Rosalie, my mom turned around. "I didn't think you were gonna make it."

"We had to park way out on the other side of the park. This place is packed," I complained. I caught Rosalie's eyes as I spoke with my mom. She waved over her shoulder at me with a smug smile on her face. I'd love to wipe it off for her.

Mom turned back around and resumed her conversation with Esme. I tried my hardest to not look Rosalie's way, but I could feel her eyes on me and when I'd catch her looking, she'd turn back and talk to Evan.

"She keeps looking at me," I stressed to Alice. She looked over at Rosalie, shrugging her shoulders.

"Just ignore her. I haven't had any visions to indicate she's up to no good. Let my brother worry about her," Alice said when she faced forward.

The national anthem started to play, so we all stood with our right hands over our hearts. I glanced out at Edward. He had his ball cap placed over his heart as we all sang.

When the song was over, the players took their places on the field. Edward's team was up first to bat.

Before Edward sat down in the dugout, he looked over toward me, smiled and waved. We all waved back and gave him a thumbs up for good luck.

What I didn't realize about the game of baseball...it was never-ending.

Edward's team was ahead by one point, taking them into the third ending of the game. I was so mesmerized by watching Edward pitch that I didn't notice when Rosalie moved to sit next to me. "Hey, you. Enjoying the game?"

"A little boring, but I wouldn't be anywhere else, right now," I replied reluctantly.

"Anthony's doing a great job," she simply stated.

I turned and glared at her. She noticed. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Why do you keep calling him Anthony after we've told you that we call him Edward?" I was still glaring at her, waiting for an answer.

She glanced out at the field. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you hated that name so much. Evan told me it was okay that I could call him Anthony even though you're the one who started calling him Edward."

"Why are you even talking to Evan about me? You wanna know about me, ask me, not Evan," I said bitterly.

"It just came up in conversation," she retorted.

Alice elbowed me before I could lash out at Rosalie. "So, Rosalie, you moved here from New York?"

"Yeah, I got a great job offer," she replied.

We were quiet for a few minutes before Rosalie spoke again. "So, Alice, how come everyone calls Anthony, Edward? Evan told me it was because Bella started calling him Edward because she refused to call him by his first name."

I huffed. "Why do you even care?"

"Just curious, that's all," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"That's between us as a family," Alice said, looking over at Rosalie.

Rosalie's eyebrows raised up. "Okay, my bad," she said, getting up. "I guess I'll go back down there. I seem to have hit a sore subject for conversation."

Alice and I didn't say anything and just let her go. Her and her questions could kiss my ass.

Edward's team ended up winning 3-1. When the game was over, I ran out to the field to congratulate him. I launched myself at him, jumping into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. I started peppering kisses all over his sweaty face. "I love you. I love you, I love you. You were so great out there. I'm so happy you won."

"I love you, too, baby and thank you." He hugged me tightly, kissing me. Our kiss was hurried and full of lust and passion. I felt our little bubble forming around us until we were interrupted by one his teammates.

"C'mon Cullen, suck face with your girl later. It's time to celebrate." Edward growled and set me down on my feet.

"Did you drive?" He asked as he grabbed my hand and started leading me off of the field.

"Yeah, Alice rode with me," I answered.

He glanced down at me. "Maybe she'll ride with Jasper. I want some alone time with my girl before we meet up at Gino's for pizza."

We walked up to Alice and Jasper who were sucking face much like Edward and I were. "Hey, Whitlock, mind giving my sister a ride over to Gino's?"

"Nah, it's cool, man. We'll meet you over there," Jasper replied.

I was so happy that Alice finally started talking to Jasper the night of the bonfire because they've been inseparable since then. They were perfect for each other and the smiles on both their faces proved they were both beyond happy. We still made time for one another, though.

On the way out to the parking lot, we told our parents that we'd meet them at the pizza place. Edward made a quick stop at the restrooms before we headed out. "Mind if I drive?"

"Not at all." I pulled my keys from my pocket. "Drive away."

We seemed to walk forever. I knew I parked really far out, but this was ridiculous. "You get here late or something?"

"We got here just before the game started. Then I had to endure more of Rosalie's questions." I noticed Edward started walking faster. "What the heck's the hurry?"

Edward stopped abruptly, turning to face me. He looked over my shoulder and around us to see if anyone was nearby. "Because I wanna touch this," he said, slipping a hand between my legs and rubbing me a few times. "I haven't touched you in over a week; I need my fix."

"Lucky you, I'm wearing cotton shorts, then. Easy access," I said, teasingly before rising up on my tip toes to kiss him.

Edward chuckled. "Why do ya think I stopped at the bathroom?" He pulled something from his back pocket that I hadn't noticed, and wiggled it in front of my face.

"What the hell is that?"

He smiled. "My cup."

"I'm not even gonna ask," I said, shaking my head. "Let's go or everyone's gonna wonder what took us so long to get there."

We hurried to my car and Edward practically peeled out of the parking lot; eager to get somewhere a little more secluded.

"I'm just gonna go by my house since Gino's is closer to there. That okay?"

I nodded and Edward put more pressure on the gas pedal.

When we pulled into his driveway, he parked between his truck and his dads truck, putting us mostly in the dark, but there was still enough light to see what we were doing.

Edward didn't waste time reaching for the lever to lower the back of my seat.

I kicked my flip-flops off and propped my feet up on the dash, dropping my knees open. Edward licked his lips before he leaned over me, placing his hand on my thigh.

Our lips were drawn to each other like magnets. They became frantic and wet against each other.

"Unbutton you shirt, baby," he requested against my lips. I was all too happy to oblige. I had a little surprise for him, though. My bra unfastened in the front.

Edward started easing his hand down the front of my shorts as I was unbuttoning my shirt. Once I pulled it open, his eyes grew wide. "Holy shit! Is that new?"

"Yup, and watch this." I snapped the little clip open in the front, causing my breasts to spill out. Edward's jaw dropped. "You like?"

"Fuck yeah, I do." He dipped his head down and took my left hardened nipple into his mouth and sucked. He growled like a starving animal after food. I could feel myself getting wetter by the second.

As he continually licked, sucked and nipped at my nipples, he moved his hand lower, easing a finger inside of me. My eyes grew wide when I felt, not only one, but he added a second finger. I felt a slight twinge and sting and he slowly pushed them further in. I could sure as hell definitely tell the difference. Edward's hands were big with nice long fingers. His fingers were made for playing the piano rather than play baseball, but he wasn't too musically inclined. He sure as hell knew how to play me like a delicate instrument, though.

I whimpered when he had both fingers pushed all the way in. I clamped my legs together, capturing his hand between them. "Does that hurt, baby?"

"It stings a little, but I'm okay. I think I just lost my virginity to your fingers," I said, letting out a stuttering chuckle.

I dropped my legs back open for him to begin his ministrations. "Don't worry, you're still a virgin. It doesn't count until I'm buried balls deep inside of you."

"Um...okay," I said, nervously.

Edward slowly starting moving his fingers in and out, causing me to suck in a big gust of air at the feeling. "Oh, God. That um...shit." I couldn't speak clearly, completely overwhelmed by the sensation that ran through my body.

I grabbed Edward's head, pulling his face to mine, kissing him frantically. He began moving his fingers in and out faster, pressing his thumb against my clit.

Edward pulled back and whispered against my lips. "I can't wait to be inside you." He closed his eyes, focusing on what he was doing with his fingers. His lips parted as his breathing picked up with his rapid movements. He then opened his eyes, looking into mine. "Fuck, I love you. You're about to cum, aren't you? I can feel your walls starting to squeeze my fingers."

Considering Edward was also still a virgin, I wondered where he learned to do what he was doing to me. He definitely knew how to work his fingers.

He dropped his head down and began sucking and licking across both my breasts. One of my hands was in his hair while the other gripped at the door. My legs began to shake as the feeling in my pussy grew more intense. My clit felt like it was twitching and the heat began to rise the harder he massaged my clit. "Oh, God...Oh, God...Oh, God. I can't..."

Edward quickly adjusted his hand and as soon as he pushed his fingers as far as he could, up inside me, pressing against my trigger spot. I nearly screamed as my orgasm hit me full force. " As much as that hurt my ear, I fucking loved it."

"I'm dead," I said, breathlessly.

Edward pulled his hand from my shorts and put his fingers in his mouth, sucking my arousal from them. "Far from dead, baby; I have proof right here." His lips made a popping sound as he pulled his middle finger out. "I can't wait til your birthday."

After a few minutes of composing myself, Edward unbuttoned his pants. He seemed all too eager for his turn.

I helped him get his pants down around his thighs. His dick sprang up. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear it was smiling.

Edward must have assumed I was only giving him a hand job because he reached into his glove compartment and pulled some tissues out. When I leaned over him and swiped my tongue over his leaking slit. "Holy shit, you're...I didn't think you would because I'm all sweaty."

"I don't care," I said, wrapping my fingers around his length. "It's you, that's all I care about."

Edward laid back, giving me room to move. As soon as I took him completely in my mouth, he jerked upward. "Oh, fuck. I'm not gonna last long."

I smiled up at him and spoke around the head of his dick. "Just watch, baby," I said before I took him all the way in, again. I pushed my head down as far as I could before I felt the twinge of my gag reflex, then pulled back. I'd work on going further another time.

I used one hand to guide him in and out of my mouth, jacking him off as I did it. My other hand, I cupped his balls and began to massage them, adding a little pressure as I did it. He was groaning and thrusting upward with my bobbing motion. I felt his hand ease its way into my hair, gripping it. He didn't push my head at all, but I knew if I encouraged him too, he'd explode in a matter of minutes.

If there was one way to make a grown man whimper, this was it.

When I gripped him a harder and sucked at the head of his dick, vigorously, I felt his balls begin to draw up and his dick became more solid. "Oh, fuck. I'm gonna cum. Move, baby!"

I shook my head and started moving faster. As soon as I pushed my head down and he hit the back of my throat, he thrust upward, growling, loudly as he came in my mouth. I hated the taste and didn't always swallow, but I thought it was somewhat of a reward for him after winning his game. "Fuck, baby. That was unbelievable."

"I know you like it when I swallow, so that's your reward for a job well played," I said, raising up and wiping the corners of my mouth with the tissues he had laying in between us.

"More than like, I love that shit." He reached over and ran a thumb over my bottom lip. "I love you more, though. Thank you."

"I love you, too and you're welcome. We better hurry up before they send the Calvary looking for us." At that moment, my phone vibrated in my pocket. "My phone keeps going off and it's probably my mom."

Edward scrambled to get his pants back up before reaching for his phone. "Shit!" He pressed a couple of buttons. "Shit, my mom tried calling twice."

"We'll think of something to say. I'm sure their not stupid enough to think we don't do stuff." I knew my mom would probably think we were up to no good considering she was the one who suggested I get on birth control.

Edward grumbled. "I don't even wanna think about them knowing something."

About ten minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of Gino's Pizza. When we rushed inside, all eyes were on us. "'Bout time you two got here. We were starting to think you got lost," Phil said. He winked at me as we made our way over to our saved seats.

We were getting the infamous – _I know what you two were doing_ – looks from everyone. We just ignored them, and took our seats. Let them think what they want to.

The pizza was just being served when we sat down. Edward poured us each drinks and got us each a slice of supreme pizza. _ Have I said how much I l__ove this guy, lately?_

I was glad to be seated away from Evan and Rosalie, again. All I could think about was beating her ass.

We ate our pizza in our own little quiet bubble. Edward, occasionally, would reach up and wipe crumbs or sauce off my face. He never took one hand off my thigh. He was so adorable. I noticed my mom and Esme give each other sideways glances as they watched us. I tried my best to keep my attention on my food and Edward.

Edward smirked at me a few times and I knew what he was thinking. He was such a virginal pervert. I couldn't wait until this weekend when that would all change. Being as horny as he was now, I was sure he'd have my legs spread every chance he got, from then on. My poor crotch was in for it.

Thinking about my birthday, I knew my mom had planned on a family dinner with a cake afterward. I only hoped she was okay with Edward and I leaving shortly after. All I knew was, Edward wanted my birthday to be special and I was positive it would turn out perfectly.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, be right back," I told Edward as I stood from the table. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down for a quick kiss. "I'm only going to the bathroom."

"I know," he retorted, smiling up at me.

I smiled back and made my way to the bathroom.

As I sat down and started to pee, it stung a little. I figured it was from Edward adding the extra finger tonight. I knew it didn't sting for any other reason. When I wiped, there was a little streak of blood on the toilet paper. It wasn't enough to be concerned about and it almost grossed me out a little considering Edward licked his fingers afterward. I shivered just thinking about it.

As I was washing my hands, Rosalie came walking into the bathroom. She wasn't giving up on whatever mission she was on. She walked over and leaned up against the counter, crossing her arms. "Anthony looks like a well satisfied man. You give him a congratulatory suck or fuck?"

"That's none of your fuckin' business. What's it with you anyway? Last time I checked, I didn't have a magnet that attracted bitches, but apparently I do because they keep coming outta nowhere. Just back the fuck off and leave us alone," I said, scathingly before I turned to leave.

Rosalie chuckled, causing me to turn and glare at her. "I like you. No wonder Anthony's so smitten with you."

"Stop calling him Anthony. It's Edward," I angrily said back at her.

"What's so wrong with the name Anthony? It's actually a really nice name. I'm sure Esme liked it enough when she gave it to him." She had a menacing smile on her face that was real close to being wiped off.

I couldn't figure out why it was so impotrant to her about calling Edward by his first name. It seemed like the only thing she wanted to talk about.

"Again, none of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have people waiting for me," I said before yanking the door open to the bathroom and storming out.

I was fuming mad by the time I made it back to my seat. I shot an evil glare toward Evan. He looked surprised that I would even look at him that way. It wasn't his fault and I knew that, but he was with Rosalie and that was all I was thinking at that moment.

Alice was next to me instantly before I heard Phil ask Edward, "What's wrong with her?"

"Sweetie, everything okay?" My mom asked. I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to get into the conversation. Maybe I was being too childish, but it still pissed me off.

"Someone say something to you?" Esme hit the nail on the head and now, I was positive Alice said something to her about Rosalie.

I gave Alice a knowing look. "I'm fine," I said, huffing and crossing my arms.

"You're not. We can clearly see that something upset you. What can we do to help?" Carlisle asked. He had always shown a caring side toward me since the moment I met him. I knew he meant well.

I shook my head. "You can't help, but thank you anyway." I turned to look at Edward. "Can we go, please?"

Edward looked up at his parents and mine. "Mind if we take off?"

"No, go take care of our girl," Carlisle answered.

Mom, Esme and Alice gave me sad smiles as we left the restaurant. Edward waved at everyone as we were leaving. I gave Alice a quick whisper that I would explain everything to her later. She nodded, letting me know that she heard me.

As soon as we got in the car, Edward grabbed my shoulders and turned me to look at him. "Baby, what happened?"

"Rosalie's what happened. She's so fuckin' nosy. She keeps asking why I prefer to call you Edward and she had the gall to ask me if I gave you a congratulatory suck or fuck because when we walked in, you looked like a well satisfied man." I growled. "I'm really close to beating her ass."

I, angrily, turned and yanked at my seat-belt, but it kept locking up. After the fourth or fifth time, Edward reached over to still my hands. "Calm down, baby. Let me drive you home." He gripped my seat-belt and buckled it for me.

"I don't know who she thinks she is. Why can't she get the hint to stop asking me questions like that? Should we say something to Evan about it?" I was ranting and knew it. Edward sat and took it all in, probably hoping I'd shut my mouth sometime soon.

Edward glanced over at me. "I can call him when I get home."

"No, just leave it. If she says anything else, then we'll say something to Evan." I huffed and slumped back in my seat.

"Okay, but you do need to calm down. She could just be one of those people who thinks they have to know everything," he suggested, but I wasn't buying it.

A few minutes later, he was pulling into my driveway. We sat quietly staring out the windshield before Edward spoke again. "You want me to walk you in?"

"As much as I'd love you to, I'm not very good company right now. I'm sorry; I just feel like she has an ulterior motive. It's like she's singling me out," I complained more.

Edward turned toward me and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to him. "Stop, okay. Go inside, take a hot shower and go to bed. Things will be a lot better tomorrow. Since I'm driving your car home, I'll be here by seven-thirty, okay." He placed his hands on my cheeks. "I love you. Dream about me tonight and think about how great your seventeenth birthday is gonna be for you." He pressed his lips to mine and my mind went blank. It was exactly what I needed.

I pulled back from him. "I love you, too and your dreams better be filled with me and only me," I demanded, leaning back in to kiss him. I opened my mouth, easing my tongue into his. He didn't hesitate and reciprocated, leading us into another heated make-out session.

After a couple of minutes, he pulled back, letting out a frustrated sigh. "We better stop before I say _fuck it_ and take you upstairs."

"I know," I whispered, but I honestly didn't want to stop. He was taking my mind off of everything.

I turned to open the door, but he grabbed my arm before I could. "You might need these," he said, unclasping my house key from my key-ring.

"Oh, yeah, that'd help, huh?" We kissed each other one more time before I exited my car and walked to my front door.

Before I unlocked the door, I turned, watching as Edward drove off in my car. I smiled to myself and turned toward my door, but something caught my eye. There was a single rose laying on the top step with a card attached to it. I looked at it curiously and when I bent over to pick it up, a cold chill ran down my back. I had that feeling of being watched, again.

I picked the rose up and pulled the card from it. My heart sank to the pits of hell as I read it.

_**I miss you, sweet girl.**_

* * *

_**A/N: Yeah, yeah, yeah...let me hear it. I won't run from the pitch forks because I deserve the lashing for leaving it that way. Who do you think the rose is from?**_

* * *

_**Okay, on a different note...I need to make some rec's.**_

Lost Half by LyricalKris

Cobblestones to Corsets by TrueEnglishRose

That's What Little Girls Are Made Of by krazi4TwiSaga

Offbeat by SexyLexiCullen

Light My Fire by reyes139

The Affair by johnnyboy7

Better Than Pie by savannavansmutsmut

**Read away. They're all great. **

**Much love,**

**~Stephanie~**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Not a whole lot to say except THANK YOU for sticking with me while I healed from my accident. YES, my cast is off, but I still get pretty stiff after typing for a bit. Hopefully, I can get back on posting schedule of every Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed.**

**Lots of THANKS to Loopylou992. She's the best pre-reader...EVER...BTW, she got SECOND PLACE in the ENERGIZE W.I.P awards for The Most Promising Twilight FanFiction - Canon, for her story TAKEN that I am a part of as her beta. Congrats, bb. I can't say it enough. I was nominated also, but oh, well. I'm just THANKFUL to be nominated for Ghostly Double in the same category. **

**To all my new readers, welcome aboard our jouney. To anyone that's rec'd this, I can't thank you enough.**

**To everyone that celebrates THANKSGIVING, in and out of the U.S...HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I'm thankful to have a wonderful family and I'm very thankful to still have my life after the horrible accident that left me temporarily disabled with a broken wrist. I still endure pain, but I work through it. I'm also thankful to have some of the best and most loyal friends EVER! And last but not least, I'm thankful to have readers that have stuck with me through my absence and sent me PM's to check on me.**

**On with the story.**

**This isn't beta'd...All mistakes are mine.**

**SM owns...I DO NOT! I do own a cellphone that went plunging into the mop water earlier! Yeah, it's dead. D.E.A.D Where are the freakin Zombies when you need them..They can bite it and bring it back to life, right? I'm delusional...I know.**

**Update: 11/20/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 18**

**BPOV**

* * *

I knew I had to be right in thinking the reason that rose was left for me.

There was only one person that ever called me _sweet girl._ Knowing that, only told me one thing – he was here...in Florida.

I hurriedly got inside the house, slamming the door shut and locking it before I ran up to my room. The only person that came to mind to call first, was Alice.

"_Hey, chick, why'd you leave so early?"_

"Not now, Alice. Something's happened," I said glancing around my room to make sure everything looked the same.

"_What do you mean, something's happened? Be more specific, please?" _ Alice seemed irritated with my vagueness.

I shook my head even though she couldn't see me. "Shit, sorry. Edward just dropped me off and when I walked up the steps, there was a single red rose laying there with a card attached to it."

"_What'd it say?"_

"He's here, Alice. He's come for me and I don't know what to do," I said, alarmingly, sinking down to the floor, leaning against my bed.

"_You sure it's him?"_

"Yes. It said –_ I miss you, sweet girl." _I sighed before continuing. "Alice, he's the only one who's ever called me _sweet girl. _What the fuck am I supposed to do? Should I ignore it, or what?" My mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure out the best way to approach this.

There was no way I could deal with this. I just wanted him to leave me alone. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out..._why now? _After all these months, why would he even come for me? There was no way in hell I was going to give him a time of day. Edward was in my life now and I love him more than life itself. I refuse to let Anthony try and come between us. _And why the hell was he keeping himself hidden, if he were back?_

"_I'm sorry, Bella, but I don't know. You definitely can't ignore it. I'll tell my mom and dad about it, though. Maybe mom will have a better answer for you. Just don't go outta your way to look for him. If he already knows where you live, he could be watching you. You can't ever be alone,"_ she said, stressing to me, that staying alert was the most important thing. I needed to pay close attention to my surroundings.

''Edward should be home by now. He drove my car because I was too upset over the Rosalie bullshit, to drive. I'll have to tell you tomorrow what happened. She's definitely up to something; I can feel it in my bones," I said, getting up from where I was sitting on the floor.

I heard Alice sigh. _"Okay, well, if you're that concerned, I'll try and push my visions. In the mean time, your parents should be home shortly; we all just left. Did you lock up?"_

"Yeah, that was the first thing I did," I replied.

"_Good, because he can't come in the house unless he's invited in and the only person who can do that would be either your mom or Phil. You may wanna tell them so they don't think that he's Edward one day and let him in and you better tell my brother as soon as he gets there in the morning. I'm riding with Jasper, so I'll see you at school. Everything will be okay, Bella. We'll figure something out." _We finished our call, but I couldn't stop thinking about the best way to get him to leave me alone.

I'd have to make sure to tell mom and Phil as soon as I got both of them together the next day. If they knew the real reason behind the way he found me, they'd flip out.

I felt defeated at that moment. _ Why? _ I didn't know. The rose had to be from him. No one else ever called me _sweet girl_ and the thought caused my stomach to churn.

All I wanted to do was go about my life and pretend that Anthony never existed, but I knew that wouldn't be the case. He was here for a reason and that reason would have to be to try and get to me. I'd do everything I possibly could to stay away from him.

As I walked around my room, I approached my window, making sure it was locked before looking out over the yard and the surrounding houses. I did the same with my balcony door, but paused for a few minutes, wondering if he was out there watching me. I searched for his familiar face, but I didn't see any sign of him and that made me feel at ease, momentarily.

The next morning, I woke up after only a few hours of sleep. Anthony kept plaguing my dreams the whole night. He was vicious and evil with every word he said to me. I had to shake my head to get the memories of those dreams to disappear.

I wasn't sure how I was going to endure the day, but I knew one thing for sure, being around Edward would calm me and once I told him about the rose and my dreams, I'd feel a whole lot better. He'd be mad as hell, but I couldn't _not_ tell him. That was a promise I wouldn't break. Much like any promise I ever made to Edward.

At seven-thirty on the dot, I heard the doorbell, faintly, ring. I knew it was Edward. My mom or Phil would let him in.

I had just stepped out of the shower and was wrapped in a towel when I opened the door to the bathroom. There was a knock on my door as it was pushed open, "Bella?"

Edward stuck his head around the door and spied me. A huge smile crossed his face when he saw me. "Hey, you."

"Hey, yourself." He stepped into my room, shutting the door. I heard the lock click, "I guess I'm right on time."

"For what?" I stepped over to my dresser and pulled out my bra and panties.

Edward chuckled. "To see you naked, of course."

"Ha, ha, very funny. I'll be dressed in just a few minutes," I retorted, walking toward my walk-in closet.

I stepped inside with Edward trailing me. Before I could shut the door, he pushed his way inside, shutting it behind him. He stalked toward me, pressing my back to the wall in seconds. "Drop the towel."

"Edward, what if my mom comes up here?" He smiled down at me, deviously.

"Her and Phil were leaving as I came in. It's just you and me, baby," he said, leaning down, sucking some skin from my neck, into his mouth.

I giggled, "You bad, bad boy; coming up here to take advantage of me."

"You can't take advantage of the willing," he said, seductively.

I smiled up at him. "Let's take advantage of the moment, then."

I dropped the towel as Edward stepped back and ogled me from head to toe. He clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath before stepping back toward me, again. "You look delicious."

"And you are delicious," I said, placing my hands on his chest.

He lifted his right hand and placed it on my left breast, smoothing his thumb over my hardened nipple. His other hand, he lifted it, looking at his watch. "Mmm...perfect."

"What's perfect?" I asked, sighing. My heart rate was starting to speed up at the mere thought of what he had in mind.

"You, first of all and second, this..." He dropped to his knees in front of me, placing his hands on my thighs and urged them apart. "My turn. It's only fair since you went down on me last night."

Thinking of last night, brought back memories of my dreams and the rose, but I pushed those thoughts away when he pushed a finger between my slippery lips, pushing into my clit, causing me to jerk from the feeling that shot through me.

His eyes were locked on my very trimmed pussy. I didn't like to shave completely because the first time I did it, dammit...if I didn't itch for days afterward once the hair started to grow back. Plus, I had razor burn from hell. Of course Edward laughed about it, telling me that he preferred me with a little hair. He said that it proved I was a woman and not some prepubescent little girl.

I nodded, but he didn't see, so I reached down and pushed his head toward me, giving him the sure sign that I definitely wanted him to lick and suck me.

"Let's go to the bed, then. I wanna see all of you and I want your legs open as wide as they'll go," he demanded as he hurriedly stood up and grabbed my hand, leading me out into my room and over to my bed.

I climbed up, laying sideways. I wasn't sure which way would be more comfortable for him, so I waited.

He, hungrily, raked his eyes over my naked body like a tiger searching for its prey, dropping to his knees. He wrapped his hands around my calves and pulled me to the side of the bed. I propped my feet on the edge and dropped my knees open.

Edward's breath hitched as he stared at my pussy before him. "You look a little wet, baby."

I hummed as I gripped the blanket, waiting for him to place his mouth on me.

He leaned forward and inhaled. "God, I love the way you smell."

His hands trailed down my thighs before he inserted one finger inside of me. "Oh, shit!" My hips had a mind of their own and jerked upward. "More!"

"I know, baby. I'm working on it. Patience," he said, pushing a second finger inside of me, working them at a steady pace. My legs were quivering from the anticipation.

A weird sound came from my mouth when I felt him lick from my opening up to my clit. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked, causing it to tingle from the force he used to suck it. I couldn't help it when my hips rose up to get closer.

He began moving his two fingers, in and out of me, at a faster pace. I was already on the verge of spilling my juices into his mouth. But before I could fathom his next move, he abruptly removed his fingers and forced his tongue inside of me, fucking me with it, relentlessly. His thumb replaced his tongue on my clit, causing me to, yet again, jerk upward from the feeling.

"Oh, God, Edward. Fuck me with your tongue, faster. I'm close, already," I said, nearly yelling my excitement.

He hummed, pulling his face away and pushing his fingers back inside of me. Adjusting himself between my legs, caused him to have a better angle. He was now bent over the top of me, with his hand flipped around. His palm was pushing against my clit. His face had a feral look of lust and want. I knew he couldn't wait for us to finally be together. My pussy was in full agreement with him.

My body stiffened as I let out a loud moan. "Oh, fuck, yes!" Edward, quickly, dropped back to his knees and began licking and sucking, lapping up my arousal as it seeped from me.

I quickly jumped away from him when I felt his tongue lap over my asshole. "What the hell? Ewww...Edward, no!"

"What? You've showered and why not?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders at me.

"Just, no, okay. Just thinking about that, makes me wanna hurl. My asshole is exit only. And just ewww," I expressed, moving to get off the bed.

I glanced up at him, noticing he was smiling from ear to ear. "Okay, no ass play. Got it. Can I at least try and put a finger up there sometime?"

"Ugh! No, okay. Now sit down. What time is it?" I grabbed his wrist, noticing it was about ten minutes before eight. School didn't start until eight-thirty, so that gave me plenty of time to reciprocate. I knew he was sporting a pretty huge boner and I couldn't let him walk around with it.

I started to unbutton his shorts and he looked at me quizzically. "What're you doing?"

"Your turn. I can't have you walking around with a hard-on, poking everyone's eye out, now can I?" I unzipped his shorts and urged him to lift his ass so I could pull his shorts down enough to let his dick pop up at me.

"Like I'd say no," he said, smiling from ear to ear, leaning back so I could lean over him and take him in as far as he would go without choking me.

I had him engulfed in my mouth while I played with his balls. He was making small grunting noises the faster I went. He nearly jumped off the bed when I pulled away and leaned down to suck one of his balls into my mouth. I moaned as I dragged my tongue up his long shaft and back to the tip of his dick. It was almost completely purple from being so hard.

It didn't take very long at all for Edward to cum. He was panting and letting out large gasps of breath...all from his excitement.

By the time we made it to school, we had ten minutes to spare before the first bell rang. Thank goodness for his lead foot.

We were both smiling ear to ear as we quickly walked, hand in hand, across the lot. We kissed and went our separate ways. Then it hit me that I was so distracted from our play time, that I forgot to tell him about the rose.

I decided to tell him on the way home, so he wouldn't be in a foul mood at school.

I had told Alice what had happened with Rosalie and she looked just as stunned as I felt. I couldn't help but feel like she was pushing too much or trying to hard to get information out of me. That's not how you make friends and I didn't care how new she was in town. You don't push and push to get info from someone the way she'd been almost forcibly asking me about my past. It was as if she expected me to be forthcoming with all my story like she was my new found best-friend. _Nope...not gonna happen in my lifetime._

When school came to an end, for the weekend ahead, I made my way out to the parking lot. I saw Edward leaning against my car with a raving Charlotte in front of him. Her hands were flying every which way and Edward looked somewhat amused by her actions. I was lucky I didn't have to see her around school...at all.

I walked up and stood behind her and Edward continued to pretend to listen. A small smile played on his lips as she ranted at him. He noticed me when I walked up, but didn't say anything. I was sure he wanted me to hear what she was spewing to him.

"Please make me understand, Anthony. We were only taking a break from each other, not breaking up. That was just a few months ago. I can't see how you've moved on so easily. It's like I meant nothing to you. And with a Junior, no less." Charlotte's ranting was making me yawn.

Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets, crossing his feet at his ankles. He shrugged his shoulders at her. "What'd you want me to say, Charlotte? Bella and I are together. When I didn't respond to any of your ridiculous letters over the summer, that should have been answer enough for you. We're over. Done. You need to move on. I don't even want to be friends with you."

"Anthony, please? Didn't anything I said to you at the restaurant , mean something to you? I want to try again. I promise to change...please." I could hear her sobbing, but I didn't really care.

Edward knew I was listening and obviously didn't care if I heard. "Charlotte, I'm trying to be as nice as I can to you and _yes_, I heard what you said at the restaurant that night. You apologized and said you loved me, but I don't love you. I never did. I love Bella. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He pushed himself from my car and stepped around Charlotte. She huffed when she turned around and saw me standing behind her. "Now I know why you just said that. She was standing there the whole time. You didn't want to say your true feelings in front of her."

Edward wrapped his arms around me. "Hey, baby."

"Hey. What bullshit is she spouting?" I raised up on my tip toes and kissed him right in front of the glaring bitch-face.

"Excuse me, I do not spout bullshit...you trailer trash," Charlotte said, angrily, her nostrils flaring while breathing heavily.

"Whatever," I said, waving her off. "Now, step away from my car. I think some of your bullshit just splattered on it. I'll send you the car wash bill."

Charlotte stomped her foot. "Anthony?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone by that name," Edward said before grasping my hand and leading me around to the passenger side of my car.

We heard Charlotte let out a loud scream before she stormed away.

I shook my head. Some people just didn't know when to take _no_ for an answer.

I also wondered how many more girls were going to crawl out of the shadows and try to claim Edward.

When we pulled up in the driveway, I knew I needed to tell him about Anthony. It was now or never. "Um...I forgot to tell you something. Actually, I didn't forget, I just didn't want you pissed off at school all day."

He looked over at me with worry. "I'm not sure if I wanna know if it's gonna piss me off."

"We promised we wouldn't keep things from each other and you have to know." I paused, thinking whether or not I should just come out and say it. "Um...last night when you dropped me off, there was a rose with a card attached to it, waiting for me."

"You sure it was for you?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"What'd the card say? Just tell me," he said, gripping the steering wheel, tightly.

I lowered my head and mumbled my answer. "I miss you, sweet girl."

In my peripheral, I could see Edward's jaw clenching. He knew exactly what I was talking about. I had told Edward about Anthony calling me that when he had said it to me over the phone one time. He apologized profusely and promised to never say it again. He knew now, that I was talking about Anthony.

"He's here?" He let out a long sigh. "In Florida?"

"I'm assuming, yes," I answered in a low voice.

We were quiet. There was only the sound of our breathing within us. I didn't know what to say or do about any of it.

Edward broke the silence. "I don't know what to say except I love you and if he's here to reconcile with you, then I understand because he was your first love, but know that I'm here for you."

"What!?" From his statement, I was suddenly livid that he would say such a thing. "You actually think that I'd go back to him?! Do you honestly doubt the way I feel about you? He may have been my first love, but I was far from being _in love _with him the way I am with you. I can't believe..."

I was cut off by Edward turning in his seat and quickly grasping my face between his hands. "Hey, hey, cut that shit out, okay. I'm sorry. I had a moment of insecurity. I know you love me. I don't doubt it one bit." He pressed his lips to mine and pulled back to look at me in the eyes. "I just don't know what I'd do if you didn't want to be with me anymore. If he's here, I know he'll try and start problems between us and we can't let that happen, okay. Promise me that we won't let that happen? We can't let anyone come between us; not him or anyone else."

Tears were pouring out of my eyes. Edward used his thumbs to wipe them away. "I promise," I whispered.

He pressed his lips to mine, pushing his tongue into my mouth. We kissed slowly for a few minutes, pouring our love, for each other, into it.

When he pulled back, he still had a look of concern on his face. "We also need to promise that any negative thing we hear from anyone and I mean anyone, we can't believe it. We just have to trust each other and talk to each other, okay. I know if he's here and wants you, he will stop at nothing to try and get you back. I won't give you up without a fight and I believe every word Alice says about us being meant for each other."

"Okay, I promise," I said, smiling at him. "I love you, Edward, with my whole heart and soul. In the short time we've been together, I feel it, completely."

"God, I love you, too. With everything I am." He kissed me, letting out a small whimper. He pulled back, grinning from ear to ear. "And, I plan on marrying you one day and having lots of babies with you."

I scrunched up my nose. "What does _lots,_ entail?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, three, six, ten. We'll see when the time comes."

"You're unbelievable sometimes, you know that?" He pulled back from me and took the keys from the ignition, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"Of course I know that." He quickly leaned over and pecked my lips. "C'mon, let's go grab a snack and go over our Lit notes. I don't want any last minute homework to worry about. Tomorrow's your birthday and that's all I wanna think about, after tonight."

Edward and I completed all of our homework. I left his house around ten o'clock. My curfew wasn't until midnight on weekends, but I was really tired and wanted to try and catch mom and Phil before they went to bed.

When I walked in, I could see the light on in the kitchen. I figured one of the two parental figures was in there.

As I turned the corner, I caught Phil shoving a huge bite of chocolate cake in his mouth. "Late-night snack?" I asked as I hung my keys up on the peg.

Phil licked the remaining icing off his plate, looking guilty. "Please don't tell your mom. I already had some earlier, but I couldn't help wanting more; it's so irresistible."

I giggled at him. "You're as bad as Edward over my cooking."

"Can't help it. It's so gooood," he said, groaning then turning to put his plate in the sink. "So, what've you been up to? I've hardly seen you all week."

"Eh...school. That's about it." I knew I sounded a little off with my answer, but I wasn't really sure how to bring up the Anthony situation.

He nodded, "Everything okay between you and Anthony." Then he smacked himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand. "Shit, sorry. Edward. I keep forgetting."

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me anymore like it used to, but to answer your question, everything's great." I looked down at the counter where I was standing.

Phil stepped closer and used his finger under my chin to raise my head. "You sure, kiddo? You don't seem positive."

"Yeah, we're perfect actually. Um...is mom still awake? I have something to tell you and it needs to be both of you."

"No, she's up in her study reading that blasted book still," he said, grumbling. "I'll run up and get her."

Phil literally ran from the kitchen to get mom for our talk. I shook my head because Phil was such a great guy and I was so lucky to have him as a step-dad.

They returned shortly after. Mom hugged me when she walked through the entrance of the kitchen. "What's goin' on, baby girl? Phil said you had something to tell us."

I took a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Taking in a few deep breaths, I started to explain what happened with the rose and why I knew for a fact it was from him. I also explained that Edward and Anthony could be identical twins, and I also told them that we needed to figure out a way to distinguish the difference between the two of them. If there ever came a time that Anthony did show up at our house and try to pass himself off as Edward, we had to have a signal of some sort.

"Wow," Phil said, looking over at my mom. "We'll definitely come up with something; a password maybe. I just can't believe that they look that much alike that we'd actually mistake Anthony for Edward if he ever tried to pull something like that."

"I wonder how he found you in the first place," mom said, quizzically, scrunching her eyebrows together.

I shook my head. "Your guess is as good as mine," I said, hating the fact that I had to lie to them about all this. If they only knew the real reason behind why he was able to locate me, they'd probably think I had gone insane and have me committed.

"We'll think of something tomorrow. Right now, it's late and tomorrow's a big day for you, young lady. When Edward gets here, we'll talk more about this. Hopefully we can dodge any mistakes of identity between the two of them," Phil said, reaching up to turn the light on above the stove. It was usually left on as a nightlight for us.

I chuckled, nodding my head. "I hope you don't ever meet Anthony, but the warning is out there; a definite mistake in identity if you saw the two of them together."

We finished our conversation on our way up the stairs to our rooms. I was only going to text Edward tonight; I was completely exhausted and wanted to try and get to sleep as soon as I could.

* * *

_**I couldn't figure out where I was. The walls around me were plain gray brick and there were no windows. It was as if the room was spinning around me in slow motion.**_

"_**Hello!" I called out, not sure if anyone was near enough to hear me. "Can anyone hear me?!"**_

_**I felt a cool breeze whip against my back and I stood frozen where I was. There was someone behind me; I could feel their presence. "Why am I here?" I asked, hoping the person would answer. I didn't want to turn around and see who it was.**_

"_**You know why," came a raspy, deep voice that I recognized all too well.**_

_**I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to give me some sort of protection. "You can't keep me here; they'll look for me."**_

"_**Oh, sweet girl," he sighed. "You don't know me well enough, do you?"**_

_**I turned abruptly, staring into the eyes of my past. "I don't know you. I don't wanna know you. I wish I never met you," I seethed through gritted teeth at Anthony, who stood with a smirk on his face. I wanted so badly to snap his head off.**_

"_**Oh, but you do. You love me and always will. Don't you find yourself questioning whether or not we're meant to be together?" He raised his hand to try and touch my face, but I smacked it away. "You love my touch and the way I make you feel. Stop denying me, Isabella."**_

"_**You make me sick," I sneered at him. "Just thinking about you touching me, disgusts me."**_

_**He shook his head, clicking his tongue and waving his finger in my face. "Isabella, do you not remember the promise you made me?"**_

"_**FUCK YOU!" I screamed. "GO BACK TO HELL WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"**_

_**He threw his head back, letting out a loud, boisterous laugh. He clapped his hands, finding something humorous. "You really don't know me at all." Then his face became murderous and stepped closer to me, grabbing my upper arms. " I'm here to collect on that promise," he said. "...and you will pay up."**_

"_**NO!" I screamed, trying to get free of his, iron clad, grasp. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"**_

"_**YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" he yelled back at me, pulling me to where a bed suddenly appeared.**_

_**I kept struggling, but he was entirely too strong for me to break free. "You can't do this. Please, please, please don't do this."**_

_**I begged and pleaded with him to stop, but he threw me on the bed and was immediately above me, ripping at my clothes. He kept pushing my legs apart to get to me. I was fighting as much as I could, but he was too strong. "NO! Please! Please don't do this."**_

_**My body, suddenly, started shaking the closer he got to his intended destination. Just as he pulled his hard length from his pants and moved to force himself on me, I screamed, again, "NO!"**_

* * *

"Bella, wake up, baby girl, you're having a nightmare." I heard my mom say within the fog around my head.

I suddenly sat up, looking around at my surroundings. I was gasping for breath as I realized I was in my room with my mom sitting beside me. I jumped up, wrapping my arms around her. "Oh, God, mom, I couldn't get away. He was too strong."

Mom was trying to sooth me. "It's okay, baby girl, he's not here. You're home and safe."

Phil walked into my room and sat down next to mom. "Anthony?"

I felt my mom nod her head. She kept rubbing her hands up and down my back, soothingly. I was finally calming down.

"He was...was trying to ra...ra..rape me," I stuttered as I whispered, still shaking from my nightmare.

Mom pulled back and placed her hands on my face. "He won't, honey. We won't let that happen. It was just a nightmare; we're here. The house is locked up; you're safe."

Tears were still streaming down my face. All I wanted was Edward to be here and hold me. "I'm gonna get you some water. I'll be right back," she reassured me as she stood from my bed.

When she stepped into the bathroom, Phil scooted over and pulled me into a hug. He gave me a tight squeeze. "I won't let anything happen to you. It's my duty as your step-dad to protect you and I will; I promise."

"Thank you; I know you'll protect me," I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand as I pulled away from our hug.

"We'll all watch out for you. You have all of us; Carlisle, Esme and I know Edward will cut a bitch to protect you," he said, giving me a small smile.

I chuckled at his attempt to make a joke. "I know. I'm lucky to have all of you in my life. I just wish dad were here."

After mom brought me the water, I got settled back into bed. Phil kissed the top of my head and told mom he would see her when she went back to bed. Mom climbed in behind me, spooning me as she wrapped her arms around me, protectively. I was soon fast to sleep in her warm embrace.

When I woke the next morning, I was still wrapped in my mom's arms, although, they seemed to be more hairy.

I felt hot breath on the back of my neck and realized that was a little too close for my own mom, to be next to me.

I turned as easy as I could, trying not to wake the person behind me. When I got turned enough, I found a very sound asleep, Edward. I could see his eyes moving rapidly behind his lids.

His beautiful lips were slightly parted and I couldn't help reaching up and running my thumb over his bottom lip.

I couldn't believe he was actually asleep, in my bed...with me.

Mom or Phil must've called him and told him what happened so he would be here for me when I woke up.

Edward let out a low growl as I traced his eyebrows with my finger. His growl turned into a welcome hum when I pressed my lips to his. Morning breath, be damned; I couldn't resist.

He reciprocated my kiss, pulling me closer. "You watching me sleep?"

"Mmhm..." I replied, nuzzling my face into his neck under his chin. He smelled so good and freshly showered.

"I think I could get used to this," he whispered before placing a kiss on top of my head.

I pressed my lips to his neck before asking, "Mom called you, didn't she?"

"She was worried and said you needed me. I've been here for a few hours," he explained moving his thumb in small circles on my lower back.

I kissed his neck, again. "Thank you." I pulled back, realizing he said he'd been here a few hours. "Wait a minute, what time is it?"

Edward moved his arm to look at his watch. "Twelve-thirty."

"Shit!" I hissed. "I've slept most of the day away."

"Don't worry about it. Your mom stuck her head in a few times. I'm positive, to make sure we weren't up to some funny business," he said, moving his hand down and cupping my right ass cheek. "Happy Birthday, by the way."

"Thank you," I said, loving that he was here with me. What a way to start out your seventeenth birthday; with the man you desperately loved and craved entirely.

Edward rolled to his back. "We need to get up, though. I wanna take you out to lunch, then later, your mom's planning a dinner with all of us before I whisk you away."

"Fine, but you gotta tell me where we're going," I said while I raised my arms above my head and stretched out my tired muscles.

Edward, suddenly, rolled on top of me. "I don't think so, baby." He started tickling me. "Now, get up."

"No fair," I complained.

"Way fair. Get dressed because you're sure as hell not wearing what you have on, out in public." I had on a white tank top and a pair of navy blue boy shorts.

I snickered at him. "Little possessive, are we?" I retorted, sitting up as he jumped off the bed.

He chuckled. "Are you Yoda, now? And _yes_, unless you want me to go out in just my boxers."

"Oh, hell no," I exclaimed.

"Little possessive, are we?" He repeated my same words.

He was too funny making his point very clear, so I reluctantly, climbed out of bed and changed my clothes.

When we made it downstairs, mom was just walking out of the kitchen. "'Bout time you two woke up."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"It's fine, sweetie." She walked up to me and hugged me. "Happy Birthday. Your dad just called. I told him you were still sleeping and I sorta filled him in on what you told us last night about he-who-must-not-be-named."

"I'm sure he was pissed," I said, walking toward the front door to leave.

Mom nodded. "Well, yeah, he didn't blow a gasket, but he was definitely pissed. Oh! He has some news for you, too, but I promised to let him tell you."

"Okay, well, we're heading out to lunch. I'm not sure when we'll be back."

Mom leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Okay, sweetie. Edward, make sure you have her back in time for dinner. Everyone should be here by six."

"No problem. We'll see you later, Renee." He then opened the door and held it open for me to go through it before him.

When we climbed into his truck, I couldn't help but look over at him. I still couldn't get over how handsome he was and how he made my heart feel. My stomach was always fluttering with butterflies, around him. "I really hope mom hasn't gone too overboard with this birthday dinner."

"Babe, give her some credit. This is your first birthday here with her. She just wants to do something nice for you," he expressed and started the truck.

I shook my head. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm happy she's getting everyone together. I'm actually liking my birthday this year. I have you, now."

"Yeah, ya do and I can't wait until after dinner so we can escape the parentals." All I could do was smile because I was anxious to find out what he had planned for us. I only hoped we'd have some privacy because I was ready. I want to give the rest of myself, to him.

We arrived by the boardwalk and he let me choose where we were having lunch. I really wasn't hungry, so I chose the same place I had met Alice.

After lunch, we decided to walk along the boardwalk. I knew he was trying to kill time until we needed to be back at the house. He wanted to make sure mom had enough time to set everything up.

We walked hand-in-hand and even stopped to ride a few rides. My favorite was the swings that flew out over the ocean. It made me feel exuberant.

When the sun started going down, Edward checked his watch and said it was time to go. I was already so tired from all the walking we did, but it had been an excellent day and I was very thankful. It kept my mind off the nightmare I had the night before. Edward hadn't asked me about it and I knew he wanted to, but he chose to keep quiet and wait for me to open up. I'd tell him the next day; I didn't want to think about Anthony at all for the rest of my life...if I could help it.

We made it back to my house and I noticed a few extra cars in the driveway; Evan's was one of them. I only hoped Rosalie wasn't with him.

"Great," I mumbled.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing...just that Evan's here and Rosalie's probably with him."

"Just ignore her. This is for you. Have fun then we'll cut outta here by eight-thirty or nine o'clock, okay," he said, encouragingly.

I nodded and reached for the door handle.

When we walked in, there was a loud, "SURPRISE!", yelled out. It actually startled me.

I glanced around to all the smiling faces in the room. It warmed my heart to have so many people care. Except one...Rosalie. She was standing next to Evan with a smirk on her face.

Alice and Jasper stood off to the side. Alice looked more excited than everyone else. She was the first one to rush to me and pull me into a hug. "Happy Birthday, bestie."

"Thank you," I said, pulling back and looking at everyone else. "Thanks, all of you. This is great."

I glanced around, noticing there was a huge banner hanging above the back patio door. There was also balloons everywhere.

All the people that mattered to me, hugged me and wished me a happy birthday, except Rosalie and that didn't bother me...at all.

We all eventually made our way to the dining room where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, followed by a huge cake. I knew that seventeen candles wasn't a lot, but when you have to blow them out, that's a whole different story.

"Make a wish," Alice said, excitedly.

I closed my eyes and thought for a second about what I truly wanted my wish to be. I already had everything I needed except my dad. I wished he were here to celebrate with me, so I drew in a huge breath and blew; wishing I could see my dad sooner rather than later.

Around eight-forty, Edward and I got the all clear to leave. We didn't get a chance to talk about what happened or make up a password to use. I was too excited about having time alone, away from everyone, with Edward.

"Since it's your birthday, you've got until one o'clock. No later. Got me, Edward?" My mom...always the parental card player.

Edward smiled and nodded. "Gotcha. She'll be home on time...I promise."

He seemed excited to get me alone and I couldn't say that I blamed him. I wanted to be alone with him, too.

We drove for about fifteen minutes before Edward pulled into an empty parking lot at the beach. I looked over at him, wondering what he was up to. "The beach?"

"Yeah, c'mon. I have something to show you," he said, encouragingly. He hopped out of the truck and made his way around to my side and opened the door for me. _Who said chivalry was dead. Not with my man._

I only hoped he didn't blind fold me. I hated trying and walk and not being able to see. That's why I never like playing _Pin the Tail On the Donkey._

He grabbed my hand and started pulling me through the sand, making our way through some huge boulders. We stepped into a small clearing in the middle of them. "What the..."

"You like it?" He was beaming at his small creation.

"How'd you do this?" There were about ten lanterns placed around an air mattress; pillows and blankets adorned the mattress. Flowers were set between each of the lanterns. I noticed a small cooler was set off to the side with a small radio on top. It was all beautiful and made me want to cry.

He wrapped his arms around me and smiled. "I had help. This is part of a private beach that Jasper's parents own. Their house is just up over that hill." He gestured behind us and I could see the lights from the house shining through the palm trees. "He knew I wanted to do something special, so he offered his assistance and set this up for us."

"It's perfect." I was now becoming nervous. Was he expecting us to go all the way? It didn't matter though because I was ready. It's what I was wanting.

"I just...I wanted some privacy with you. We don't have to do anything. We can just lay and look up at the stars if that's what you want." He appeared nervous and seemed more in check with his restiveness.

I placed my hands on his chest and looked up at him. He was so handsome with his mile wide smile. "I was hoping we'd have some privacy, too." I let out a stuttering breath. "I'm ready. I wanna be with you, completely."

Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It all felt right. All of it. Right time, right place, right person, and the right reasons.

I took his hand and laced our fingers together, leading him over to the make-shift bed. "C'mon, it's just us."

"Hold on a sec, I wanna turn the radio on." He stepped over to the radio and slipped a CD into it. A smile broke out over his face when he saw my facial expression at who came through the speakers.

Nora Jones' - _Turn Me On, _began to play. He knew how much I loved her music and her voice was inviting.

Edward stepped back over to where I was and wrapped his arms around my waist. He began swaying us to the music. It was sexy as hell how we were grinding ourselves together. We were, slowly, dirty dancing. His leg was between mine while he kissed up and down my neck. His hands wandered my entire upper body.

As the music kept playing, we continued our foreplay with each other. The CD turned out to be a mix of different music. Elvis' – _I Can't Help Falling In Love With You,_ was when we began to undress each other. Percy Sledge's – _When A Man Loves A Woman_, led us to the bed, where Edward pulled the covers back before laying me down and sliding in next to me.

Peter Frampton's – _Baby I Love Your Way_, brought him laying halfway on top of me. One of his legs was between mine. I could feel his hardness pressed against my thigh as he leaned on one arm. His other hand, slowly, swept across my chest as he watched as each nipple, pebble. He began to kiss over the skin on my chest and up around my neck, settling on my lips. Everything was going very slowly, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

My fingers were threaded through his hair as we kissed. Our tongues were slowly dancing with each other to the music that was playing in the background.

As Roberta Flack's – _The F__irst Time Ever I Saw Your Face_, began to play, he pulled back, opening his eyes and looked into mine. "I love you," he whispered and lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine, softly and chastely.

"I love you, too. More than anything." We continued looking into each others eyes as he smoothed this hands down my body and settled between my legs. He slipped a finger between my wet lips.

He continued looking at me and I could see the love pouring from him. I could see tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "You sure you're ready? There's no turning back. I'll wait forever for you, if I have to."

"I'm ready; I need you. Make love to me, Edward. This will complete us, forever," I whispered before pulling his head down and capturing his lips with mine. He moved his body to where he was positioned between my legs. I raised my knees and nestled them close to his sides. My knees were up and pressed against his hips.

Roberta continued singing in the background as Edward reached down and aligned himself with my entrance. He began easing himself into me. I felt myself constrict around him as a burning sensation started. "Relax baby. This is a new feeling for me, too."

I took a deep breath and gave him a small nod to continue.

The burning intensified as he pushed his way completely inside of me. I couldn't help the painful whimper that escaped me.

When we were completely pelvis to pelvis, I began to feel a pulsing around us. It was like standing next to the speakers at a rock concert except there was no loud music. It was hard to explain...it was a pulse, plain and simple. "You feel that?" He asked, holding still as I adjusted to him being inside of me.

"Yeah, what is it?" I wasn't sure what the pulse was, but it was weird. _Did everyone_ _experience what we were experiencing for our first time?_

"I'm not sure, but it's weird," he said before lowering his head and pressing his lips to mine. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the pain's almost gone; you can move now. We've waited forever for this night."

Edward began slowly pulling out, but not completely before he pushed back in. It burned again, but not so bad. He found a steady rhythm before he eased his arms underneath my armpits and hooked his hands over my shoulders. His mouth found mine and pushed his tongue into my mouth. Our kisses were broken between deep breaths as he began to speed up.

"Oh, God, this is amazing," he said, going a little faster. I wasn't sure if I could cum our first time from the pain, but I felt the impending feeling of an orgasm approaching. I really thought the pain would had been a lot worse, but I think from all the times he used his two fingers to fuck me, he stretched me. I figured I had already lost my virginity to his fingers after that first time he used two and I noticed a little blood on my underwear.

I raised my legs up further and opened them wider. That gave him more room to push further into me. I thought he was all the way in, but he wasn't. The moment he drove a little harder into me, I felt it. I nearly screamed as he pivoted his hips, adding more pressure between my legs. He hooked an arm under one of my knees. I was surprised he was lasting as long as he was. I was definitely not complaining.

"I'm gonna cum, Edward. Oh, God, I'm gonna cum. I feel it. Go a little faster," I begged, wrapping my arms around him, under his arms and gripping his shoulders for leverage. The pulsing that we were feeling before was starting to intensify with his movements. I was trying to block it out, but then, it started to hum.

"Shit, baby, I'm..." He didn't finish his sentence because he tensed up and stilled his movements. The pulsing that started to hum was now causing the bed to vibrate as he came inside of me. I sure as hell didn't know what was going on, but I wasn't about to ruin the moment by asking about it.

With each stream he emptied inside of me, I felt his dick pulse. And the odd thing about the whole thing, each time he pulsed, so did the odd atmosphere around us. The only word that came to mind at that moment was...electric.

After a few long minutes of us breathing heavily, the pulsing began to fade. His face was buried in the crook of my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair and over his back, loving the way he felt between my legs.

He, reluctantly, moved to one side, pulling me to lay halfway on his chest. I pulled the blanket over the top of us before I spread my hand over his chest. "You okay?"

"I'm perfect," I answered. "Better than ever. Thank you for making this special for both of us."

"You're welcome," he said, running his fingers through my hair. "Sorry I didn't last longer."

I kissed his chest. "Don't worry about it, honey. It won't be our only time together. I'm sure it'll get a whole lot better from here on out."

"You better count on it. And what the hell was all that electric pulsing shit? Is that supposed to happen to people during their first time? It was freakin' weird as hell," he stressed, running his fingers up and down my arm.

I chuckled. "Your guess is as good as mine. I have no clue what it was. Maybe there's an electric transformer around here somewhere and we're just close enough to feel the electric pulses from it."

"Babe, there aren't any light poles around here," he said. "Maybe Alice put some kind of voodoo hex on us or something."

I knew he was only joking. Alice would never do anything like that to us. "Nah, I think she'd tell me if she did anything."

He kissed the top of my head. "Move for a sec. I made sure to pack some wash cloths so we could clean up. I'm just gonna grab one."

He climbed off the bed and pulled a zip-loc baggie from his backpack that was sitting next to the cooler. When he handed it to me, it was already wet. When I pulled the cloth away from wiping myself off, there was only a little blood. I figured it was from his size. He wasn't huge, but big enough.

"Did you bring something to drink? I could use some water," I said, handing him the washcloth after I was done cleaning off. He used the same cloth and wiped over his dick before he tossed it to the ground next to his backpack.

"Yeah, let me go pee first then I'll grab one," he said before he stepped around one of the boulders, out of my line of sight.

I laid back down and pulled the blanket up over my chest. He walked back around and before he climbed back onto our make-shift bed, he pulled on his boxers. "We still have two hours before you have to be home. You wanna stay here or go somewhere else?"

He bent over and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and climbed back on the bed, under the blanket with me. "Stay here. I think I wanna do that, again, before I have to be home." I smiled at him, noticing his eyes go wide.

"Seriously?" I nodded.

And we did. The second time wasn't as slow and left me quite sore. The electric pulsing sound returned, but we ignored it as much as we could. We still didn't know where it came from and it stumped us as to why it was happening.

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday

* * *

**A/N: Well, there ya go...they did it! Was it good for their first time? Let me know what you thought. Any theories as to what the electric pulse was around them. There may have been a clue in an earlier chapter about what might be happening, but I'm sure as the story goes on, you will catch on.**

**For those of you who are very admament readers, like myself...here's a few fic's for ya.**

* * *

**The Pull by janiedoe12 ...just started reading it and can't get enough.**

**The Affair by johnnyboy7**

**Against the Odds by knicnort3**

**Revolution by knicnort3**

**Mask of Indifference by Isabella N Edward **

**We Could Run by CaraNo**

* * *

Check them out. You won't regret them.

Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading.

~Stephanie~


	19. Chapter 19

**It's late, I know, but it's Wednesday. Spank me now. I almost forgot.**

**Anywho, when I got this back from LoopyLou992, I almost spit my drink all over my computer. I quote her by saying: "He's a dirty little shit, isn't he?"**

**I couldn't help but smile and give a big giggle over it. She's the best.**

**Little by little, I'm gonna start giving little hints about whats going on. Questions are already coming in and speculations. Keep them coming.**

**If I don't reply to your review, please know that I read every last one of them. I appreciate every last one of them, also. I wouldn't keep writing without the encouragement.**

**This story isn't beta'd...my choice, but a great pre-reader helps me out. All mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

**SM owns...I DO NOT. Although I hope to own the winning POWERBALL ticket for $550 million dollars.**

**Please Enjoy! Here's some EPOV for ya!**

**Update: 11/28/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double **

**Chapter 19**

**EPOV**

* * *

Bella's birthday had turned out like nothing I could have ever imagined. I was glad I was able to make it special for her. The whole experience was literally electrifying beyond belief. We still couldn't figure out what the vibrating hum was that surrounded us as we finally consummated our relationship. I knew there was only one person I could talk to about it...was my mom.

I had gotten Bella home before her curfew and headed home with the biggest smile on my face. Everyone was already in bed when I walked in. I needed to shower, but Bella's smell was all over me and I wanted to remember our night just a little longer.

The next morning, I walked into the kitchen and my mom was hovering over the stove making some kind of breakfast. "Morning, honey. You and Bella have a good night last night?"

"Yeah, we did. It was...unbelievable," I said as I sat down at the table. She walked over and gave me a small kiss on my cheek.

She looked at me quizzically. "You look different this morning. You do something different with your hair?"

I shook my head. "No, just extremely happy, that's all."

"I can see that. You want some breakfast? I made some sausage gravy and biscuits." I told her yes and she stepped back over to the stove and began plating up some food. "One or two biscuits?"

"Two; I'm starving," I replied, getting up to grab the juice from the fridge.

Mom sat my plate down and grabbed the jelly because she knew I loved to have it with my gravy and biscuits. It's just something about the salty and sweet of it that I love.

I was contemplating whether or not I should ask her about what happened, but I knew she was the only one who could answer me. I only hoped Bella wouldn't kick my ass for bringing it up to my mom of all people, but I needed to know, so I drew in a deep breath after I swallowed my first bite.

"Um...I need to talk to you about something," I said. "Something happened last night and you're the only person I can talk to about this considering you're a witch and all." I smiled up at her knowing how weird it sounded calling her a witch, so I started with how our night began. She was listening attentively as I tried to explain what happened. I didn't give her every detail. That would've been too much, even for me, to handle.

"First of all, please tell me you two were careful. I'm happy you waited for the right girl. Bella's perfect for you, but an unplanned pregnancy isn't something you two need right now." She smiled lightly as she talked and patted my hand. "I know you love each other and I won't sit here and chastise you two for not waiting until you're married. Your father and I didn't and I don't want to be one of those hypocritical parents. Being safe is critical, though; you're both still in school."

"I know and she's on the pill. Her mom suggested it when she noticed we were getting serious," I explained. She nodded her understanding.

She sighed. "Honey, the pill isn't 100%, so let's hope she takes her pill like she's supposed to and I'm gonna suggest you use condoms."

I nodded, letting her know that I heard her, but honestly, I probably wouldn't use a condom after the experience we had last night.

"Now, as far as this vibrating, humming feeling you experienced last night, I'm not sure. I haven't heard of anything like that before, but I assure you, I'll be reading some of my books to find out. It could be something so ancient that hasn't happened in a long time. Maybe a hundred or more years," she said before standing up from the table.

I thought for a minute and something came to mind. "Hey, you think maybe it has something to do with the fact that you're a witch and I'm your son?"

"I'm not sure. I've never heard of a female witch passing her gifts on to her son. It's always been the female offspring that inherit the powers if the mother is a witch and vice-versa. If your dad was a Warlock then you would've more than likely inherited it from him," she explained, still looking quizzically at me. "I'll do a lot of reading and get back to you."

"Okay, thanks mom and thanks for not lecturing me too much about mine and Bella's first time. I'm sure she's already gonna kill me for even talking to you about it. She's very private about stuff like that around other people."

"You're welcome, honey. Do you two have plans today?" She asked, putting the remainder of the breakfast into storage containers.

I nodded, getting up from the table to take my empty plate to the sink. "Yeah, we're just having a lazy day. Alice and Jasper were gonna come over, too, but I guess they had plans."

"Okay, well, I'll be here if you need me. I'll start reading while I wait between loads of laundry," she said, putting the food into the fridge. "Your dad's out doing some manly stuff. Who knows what. He probably dragged Phil and Evan along."

An hour later I was at Bella's house. We had changed as soon as I got there and were lounging by the pool. It was a perfectly warm day for September, which wasn't unusual.

Bella and I couldn't stop touching each other as we swam around the pool. The way she looked at me every few minutes told me she thought about the night before. To be honest, it was all I was thinking about and couldn't wait to do it again.

Sometime around noon, her mom came out and brought us some lunch. I noticed Bella looked a little nervous and apprehensive like she had something to say, but didn't know how to say it.

As we loaded food onto our plates, she immediately began to eat and kept looking up at me through her eyelashes. After a few bites, she cleared her throat. "Um...I never did tell you about my dream."

"You don't have to; it was just a dream, right?" I said, shoving a piece of pineapple into my mouth.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I want you to know."

"Okay," I agreed. "Then tell me."

She proceeded to tell me about her dream. I was dumbfounded and a little freaked, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to sit on my lap. "Well, it sucks for him because he can't have what you don't have anymore. We gave that to each other willingly." I pressed a kiss to her neck. "Speaking of...how's things feeling down there?"

"Fine; just a little sore," she admitted, although I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was ready for more.

"Since we're having a little heart to heart about stuff, I have something to tell you, too," I said, smiling at her shyly. "I talked to my mom this morning. I wanted to know if maybe she knew anything about what we felt last night with the vibrating and humming sound."

She hopped off my lap. "Edward, you talked to your mom about us; about what we did?"

"Baby, don't blow this way too out of proportion. She won't say anything, okay, plus, she's gonna do some reading and see if she can find out what that might have been." I reached out for her hand. "Come back over here."

She sat back on my lap and wrapped one arm around my neck. "Well, I guess both our moms know, then. Mom noticed as soon as I walked into the kitchen this morning. It was like I had a freakin' billboard across my forehead."

"She had to know it would happen sooner or later. Mom lectured me about being safe and suggested that we use condoms," I said, kissing her neck up to her ear.

She leaned her head to the side to give me better access. "Do you wanna use condoms? I take my pill on time every day."

"After last night, I don't think I want to. Just keep taking that pill religiously, okay, then we won't have anything to worry about." I continued kissing along her neck and over her chest. I snuck a finger inside her bikini top and brushed it over her nipple. It hardened the moment I touched it causing her to moan.

"Edward," she moaned. "You need to stop. My moms right inside. What if she sees us?"

"As much as I want to take you right here, we'll wait a few days to give you some time to heal. But, just so you know, I want more. I'm addicted, already," I said, giving her nipple a little pinch then rubbing my thumb over her pebbled peak.

She chuckled at me. "Typical male."

I stayed for dinner and left for home around ten. We had school the next day and I was pretty tired from a full day of swimming.

On Thursday night, my parents had dinner plans with Bella's parents. I was already at her house when they left. As soon as they pulled out of the driveway, we took full advantage of the quiet house.

We couldn't get our clothes off fast enough.

As soon as I pushed inside Bella, I was in pure bliss. "I'll never get tired of this feeling."

Bella pulled her legs up further, closer to her chest. I couldn't resist, so I pulled back from her and rested on my knees. My hands went immediately to her shins and pushed her legs open wider. Her thighs were literally touching the sides of her chest. I was loving how flexible she was.

Bella's arms were above her head as she gripped her headboard. We watched as I thrust into her over and over. I could feel the sweat dripping from my forehead and our moans and grunts echoed throughout her room.

I slammed into her harder than I had before. It felt amazing the way she was allowing me to relentlessly pound into her. "Oh, God, Edward, I'm gonna cum," she yelled out, which elicited a loud growl from me.

Our skin slapped together as I increased my speed. I reached down and pressed my thumb to her clit; moving in small circles. I knew she wouldn't last much longer when I did it that way; she never did.

I felt the heat begin to rise and her legs began to shake. I was about to cum so hard it would probably shoot out her nose from the force. "Oh, God," she groaned out, as she clamped down on me. I could feel the spasms from her cervix as she came, which caused a chain reaction. The feeling as I came inside her, so hard, was one I could never get tired of. There's nothing like shooting your cum inside a hot, wet pussy.

I continued to pulse inside of her a few times before I pulled out and rested the head of my dick by her clit. Some of my cum dripped out; running down between her properly fucked lips. I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head, thinking about how hot her cream pie looked and I did that to her.

Satisfaction was apparent on our faces.

I released her legs and flopped down on the bed beside her. "I guess we were both pretty eager for that, huh?"

"Mhm..." She hummed. I rolled to my side, looking at the love of my life. "Third times a charm. I didn't know you were so...dirty. It's almost like you've done this before."

"First of all, more than a charm, baby," I retorted. "It was fuckin' awesome. Secondly, you're the only real experience I have, remember? Plus, all I'm going by is what I want to do with you."

She playfully smacked my chest. "I'm willing on all counts." She sat up and grabbed my hand. "C'mon, let's clean up and go watch a movie."

We were halfway through the movie that we were barely watching because we couldn't keep our hands to ourselves, when her parents came home. I hopped up and was putting a DVD back on the shelf when Phil came in. "Hey, kids."

"Hey, Phil," we both replied. Bella sat up on the couch and turned to look at him. "Good dinner?"

"Yeah, we had Mexican. You guys need to come next time. I think you'd like it, Bella. We loved it," Phil said, flopping down on the couch next to Bella.

I made my way back over to the couch. "That's cool. My parents come back with you?"

"No, they headed home. Your dad needed to get packed for our first away game tomorrow night. I'm lucky Renee packs for me or else I'd be left just wearing my boxers," he explained.

Bella and I both laughed. "Where's mom?" Bella asked, looking concerned for a moment. "She's usually trailing behind you when you get home."

Phil's face faltered. "Um...she was putting away the leftovers and needed to go to the bathroom."

Bella nodded her head then looked over at me. "Edward, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." We got up and walked out to the kitchen. "What's up?"

"I need to go make sure my mom's okay. I think she started her period while they were out. You're more than welcome to hang with Phil, if you want 'cause I don't know how long I'll be."

"It's okay; I'll just head home. I understand you need to be there for her." I placed a lingering kiss on her lips then pulled away. "I'll see you in the morning; I'm driving."

"I'm never driving, again, am I?"

I shook my head. "Nope, not since Anthony left his calling card for you. Not gonna happen."

It was ten o'clock anyway, so I was only leaving a half hour early.

"Fine, I'll call you before I go to bed," she said, gesturing us toward the front door. When we reached the door, I leaned down and placed a long, lingering kiss on her lips. When I pulled back, she pulled my head down and placed her mouth on my neck. I felt her suck some skin into her mouth. I knew she was leaving a mark on me; I didn't care one bit. It wasn't often she did it, in the first place. I was the one usually leaving hickeys all over her.

"I love you. Please, drive safe," she said, pleadingly.

"I will. I love you, too," I said, swatting her ass as she turned to walk toward the stairs.

When I got home, I showered and made sure all my stuff was together for school the next day. I had a new pep to my step that I was sure anyone could notice. Jasper would probably be the first to question me about it since he was the one who helped me out with setting up our rendezvous spot. I wouldn't lie to him, but I wasn't going into any details. Those were for me and Bella alone.

Before I settled into bed, I was thinking about Bella's mom. I knew her and Phil had been trying for a couple of months, to get pregnant. From what Bella had told me, Alice had a vision about them having a baby and now it would only be a matter of time. I only hoped they didn't have to wait too long.

Bella called me around eleven-thirty. Her talk with her mom must've been a long one. We didn't talk for long and I made sure I told her how much I loved her. She returned the sentiment before we hung up.

I laid back and thought about our night and how much I'm gonna love being with her even more. Yeah, that sounds like a guy thing to say, but I'm so in love with Bella and my heart feels like it literally skips a beat every time I'm with her.

Then it dawned on me, the vibrating and humming wasn't quite so noticeable this third time around. With it being a different location then the last time we were intimate, I knew it had to do with us being together. I just didn't realize it would be that intense with each other. There was definitely causing it and I only hoped my mom could figure it out.

* * *

**A/N: yeah, he is a dirty little shit isn't he. He gets a little taste of the poontang and now he can't get enough. Horny little devil. LMFAO!**

**Okay, just few rec's for ya this week.**

* * *

**Against the Odds by knicnort3**

**O Holy Christmas by CaraNo**

**Tip of the Spear by Robsmyyummy Cabanaboy**

**We Could Run by CaraNo**

**You Own Me by BeeCute82**

**My Perfect Match by HappyMess**

* * *

**See y'all next week. Hope you liked it**

**~Stephanie~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Yup, another late Wednesday update. Sorry, it seems like it takes me forever to get my twins to bed. There is always something they're forgetting. I'm also feeling a little off and old. My oldest boy just turned 20 and says he's getting old. I just rolled my eyes at him.**

**Well, hope you enjoy. Lots of Thanks to Loopylou992 for her great suggestions. **

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Not beta'd...all mistakes are mine and mine alone.**

**Updated: 12/5/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 20**

**BPOV**

* * *

After Edward left, I poked my head inside the living room to let Phil know I was going to talk to mom. When I walked into their bedroom, mom was sitting on the bed. I could tell she had been crying. We hugged and cried some more. She kept reassuring me she was okay and it was only their second month at trying for a baby. I wasn't sure when it would happen, but I knew from what Alice had told me, it would be anytime up to a few months away.

It was definitely going to happen, but I couldn't tell her what I knew without outing Alice's witching ways.

I climbed into bed, close to eleven after my talk with my mom. I made a quick phone call to Edward to let him know that I loved him and would see him the next day. He asked about my mom, too, and I gave him a quick run down of my conversation with her. He kept reassuring me that everything would be okay and how lucky my mom was to have me to turn to when she needed a shoulder to cry on. He couldn't tell me enough how much he loved me and he felt like something was missing every time he drove away from me to go home. I felt the same way – the other half of my soul, is what he is.

The weeks started flying by. Edward and I were completely inseparable. Every chance we got, we were in each other pants. The man was definitely horny all the time and I was just as bad. One look and we were stripping our clothes off and going at it. That was only if we were alone or could find some privacy, that is.

Halloween approached and Alice had a huge party planned. It was the best ever because we used the thousand dollars that I won in the bet against Lauren. To say she was livid about the whole thing, would be an understatement.

We ended up inviting her, having everyone thank her for providing the funds to pull off such a great party. Some would say that was rude of us, but oh wello, she had it coming.

We had a costume contest, which, our parents were the judges so we couldn't be accused of being biased or favoritism. Sydney and his girlfriend ended up winning. Their costumes were simple, from the Renaissance era, which was what our parents were looking for...something simple.

Thanksgiving was fast approaching and mom planned to have everyone over. Edward's grandparents along with Phil's parents were going to be with us, as well. It was going to be a house full of people and that was the way my mom loved it.

My dad will be with us, too. The most exciting thing also happened. When I called my dad back, after my birthday, I finally got my birthday wish. He had put in for a transfer just before my birthday and when he flies in for Thanksgiving, he's not going back. He would be staying with us until he found a house. He wanted to live close by and I was beyond happy with the news.

Another thing that's been very promising, there hasn't been anymore signs of Anthony, which by all means, I'm highly grateful. I don't know what he's up to, but we don't talk about him. I'm still curious as to why he hasn't made his appearance known. That's what scares me the most. He's being too quiet and too hidden which means, he's drawing up plans for something; biding his time for whatever sick game he's planning on playing with me. I'm never left alone, though. There's always someone with me regardless of where we are or what we're doing. I promised to cooperate and not be a stubborn mule about being safe.

It was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Edward and I were at the airport waiting for my dad's flight to land. We arrived too early, but I was so excited to see him. Phone calls weren't enough anymore and having my dad close by, only meant my life was complete, now. My entire family will be within a close proximity and I could see, both my mom and dad, anytime I wanted.

When it was time for his flight to arrive, I was bouncing on the balls of my feet trying to see over all the people heading our way. It sucked that we couldn't meet him at the gate.

As soon as I saw him, when he stepped around the security checkpoint, I ran and launched myself at him. "Daddy, I'm so happy you're here."

"Miss me a little, baby girl?"

"More than you know and now I can see you anytime I want," I said, putting my feet back on the floor.

Edward stood off to the side watching us with a huge smile on his face. He knew how much I missed my dad and wanted him close by.

"Hey, Edward, good to see you," dad said as he extended his hand out to Edward.

"Good to see you, too, sir," Edward responded.

Dad chuckled. "You can call me Charlie. No need for formalities."

"Let's get your luggage and get home. Mom probably has a feast waiting for us." I wrapped my arms around my dad's waist as we walked; his arm draped across my shoulders.

We collected his two huge suitcases and headed to my car. Edward was driving, as usual, with my dad in the passenger seat. I couldn't help the smile that was plastered on my face the whole ride home.

Forty-five minutes later, with all the airport traffic, we finally arrived at my house. Mom and Phil came out to greet us and help with dad's luggage.

Mom embraced dad into a tight hug while Phil and Edward pulled his suitcases from the trunk. Phil walked up and gave dad a one armed hug. "Good to see ya, Charlie. It's gonna be real nice having you around here to help me tame these girls."

"It's good to be here, Phil. I'm just sorry it took so long to get down here," Dad expressed as we walked toward the front door.

"C'mon, Edward, help me get Charlies stuff upstairs, then we can all eat," Phil said as he passed Edward, making his way up the stairs.

They disappeared as I walked into the kitchen with mom. My whole family under one roof, again, was a great feeling.

"It's great to have your dad here. I'm glad he finally decided to move," Mom said as we began sitting all the food on the table.

I nodded in response. "It is great." I sat the basket of rolls down. "What time is everyone showing up tomorrow?"

"Dinner's at two, but I told Carlisle and Esme that they could come anytime; Esme wanted to help cook. She's bringing a few desserts that Alice helped with," she explained as we continued setting the table.

All three men, came back down and we settled in to eat.

Edward left a couple of hours later after we caught up some with my dad. Before I snuggled into bed, I texted Edward, telling him I loved him and couldn't wait to see him the next day. I couldn't be anymore in love with him. We've had little spats of disagreements, but we haven't let them escalate beyond that. I knew that one day we'll end up having a fight that'll go into the record books; what couple doesn't, but I only hoped it didn't happen for a long, long time.

I woke up with a huge smile on my face. It was going to be a great day and I couldn't wait to get it started.

My immediate and extended family were all going to be with us. I couldn't be more happier about my decision to move here.

The house was full of chatter by twelve o'clock when Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Edward showed up. Edward's grandparents and Phil's parents followed them in as we greeted them all. We ushered all the men into the living room to enjoy some football on the big screen.

Alice pulled me aside to have some girl talk, but I decided to take our talk upstairs to my room. "So, how's the baby thing coming along with your mom and Phil?" She knew all too well how it was going, but she wanted more details as far as how my mom was handling the months that she hadn't become pregnant.

I shrugged my shoulders. "After the first couple of months, she seemed to calm down some. Now it's like she's given up even trying."

"It may be sooner than what I predicted. My mom knows all about how she's had her hopes up every month, so she's gonna do a little somethin', somethin' today, to move along the process." Alice smiled over at me. She seemed to know something else, but she wasn't budging with the info.

My eyes grew wide. "Really?!" She nodded. "So, she's gonna cast a pregnancy spell on her?"

"You could call it that; a fertility booster of sorts," she explained. I was all the more happy that my mom would, hopefully, be pregnant by the end of the year.

Then, out of the blue, she blurts out, "I've decided to lose my virginity to Jasper."

"Oh, Alice," I wrapped my arms around her. "I can tell you love him; he loves you, too. He looks at you like you're his dream come true."

"I do. I love him so much. It's hard for me to see my own future, but I can feel that he's my soul-mate," she said, pulling back from our hug. She looked so happy and completely in love.

I nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. "I know what'cha mean. I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I'm with your brother. I'm so glad you found him, though." I moved the conversation back to her, not wanting to make it all about me. "You deserve to be happy. Everyone does, except maybe Evan and Rosalie."

I shuddered at the thought of Rosalie being a permanent fixture around us.

Alice, all of a sudden, looked guilty. "What? You've seen something with her, haven't you?"

She shook her head. "Nothing of importance, but mom has a sixth sense about things and found something out about Rosalie."

"Do I even wanna know?"

"I think you might and I could kick my own ass for not even noticing and you..." She pointed at me. "Considering you've been around them before, mom's surprised you didn't notice."

"Just tell me, Alice, 'cause I try to stay as far away from Rosalie, as I possibly can. She makes my skin crawl." I shuddered, again.

Alice lowered her head, looking down at her lap. "She's a vampire."

"Holy fuckin' hell! Really?!" I exclaimed, my eyes growing wider than saucers at her confirmation.

"Yeah," she nodded. "You potty mouth. Mom said the second time she saw Rosalie, she figured it out only because when Evan showed up at the house with her, she kept standing back behind Evan and when she didn't walk in right behind him, that's when she knew. Rosalie couldn't come in unless mom invited her."

"And she invited her in?" I asked, surprised.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, she said she gave her the benefit of the doubt because Evan seems so happy with her."

I shook my head. "This isn't good, Alice. What if she has anything to do with Anthony; what if she knows him?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Like I said, I've had some visions of her, but they weren't important; just her having conversations with various people, and some with Evan. I can't make anything of them; they seem harmless." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and now Rosalie's persistence toward me, with all her questions, made me realize, I'm not as coherent about my surroundings.

I was dumbfounded, to say the least. "I can't believe I didn't notice. How stupid of me to not figure it out."

"Don't stress about it. Right now she seems harmless and you, my dear bestie..." She elbowed me in the ribs. "...have been really preoccupied with my brother." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I felt my cheeks heat up, smiling and thinking about Edward. "I know and I'm sorry we don't spend a whole lot of time together, lately."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I heard you two the other day. You're not quiet, by any means," she said, teasingly. "When did you two cash in your v-cards?"

I felt horrible, now, because I hadn't told her and my mom knew before she did. "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you. I just feel that what Edward and I do behind closed doors, is extremely personal."

"No worries. I'm not mad; promise. Now..." She turned, looking at me pointedly. "When?"

I smiled, thinking back to mine and Edwards first time together. "My birthday. He made it so special. I'm surprised Jasper didn't say anything."

"Oh, he did, but I didn't know the extent of his helping hand," she retorted, shoulder bumping me.

I smiled up at her shyly. "Yeah, we've been quite the insatiable beasts since then. We can't seem to get enough of each other."

"I'm sure me and Jasper will be the same way. We can barely keep our hands off each other, as it is. He's got experience, though, and that's what scares me," she said, sadly. "He's had sex before and I'm afraid I'll suck and just lay there like a sack of flour."

I pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, sweetie, you'll be perfect. You two'll just have to learn together what you like. And you won't just lay there unless you're a whore and that, you're definitely not."

There was a knock at my door. "Come in." I called to whoever it was.

Edward poked his head through the door. "Hey, handsome, we're just having some girl talk."

He walked into the room. "Your mom's looking for you. She said she needed help with something that only you knew how to do. Whatever that means."

"It's probably the Hollandaise sauce. She always burns it." I stood from my bed, pulling Alice with me. "C'mon, we'll talk more later."

As we walked into the kitchen, mom was standing by the stove. I winked at Esme as I passed her. She smiled, confirming that she knew Alice had told me.

It made me giddy just thinking about it.

I stood stirring the sauce, with my mom beside me. She was preparing the turkey gravy. The sauce I was making, was for the asparagus, which I absolutely loved.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Esme and Alice looking over at us. Esme's lips were moving, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. That only meant she was doing her fertility mo-jo.

Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be the best ever. I ate so much food that I felt like I would have popped a button on my pants at any second.

Everyone hung out for a while longer. The men watched football and the women sat around chit chatting.

Since Edward came with his parents, we didn't get to spend any alone time with each other, so I looked forward to the next few days off from school. My mom and Esme were leaving at four in the morning to go shopping. It would be Black Friday and there was no way in hell I was getting up that early just to shop. Alice tried to change my mind because she was going, too, but I wasn't giving in for no amount of bribery. I wanted my beauty sleep.

Apparently, Carlisle, Phil and my dad, were pulling Evan out with them to hit up the Sporting Goods stores. They tried to get Edward to tag along, but he was very adamant about his sleep, also.

I was having a very explicit sex dream about Edward until I realized I wasn't dreaming. He was actually in the bed with me. "Mmm...I thought I was dreaming."

He was kissing along the back of my neck and had one arm snaked around me with his hand down the front of my panties.

"Take your panties off, baby," he demanded.

"I think I like waking up like this," I said, pushing my panties down over my hips and down my legs.

Edward was already naked and still laying behind me and once my panties were gone, he hooked his arm under my knee, lifting my leg.

"We haven't done it this way before and I wanted to try it." My legs were completely wide open and he didn't hesitate to ease himself inside me. "Fuck, woman, you're still just as tight as the first time."

He began thrusting into me at a steady pace. I guess Alice was right about us not being quiet because, at that moment, all I heard was our skin slapping together and our loud moans.

Edward sped up his movements for a minute until he breathlessly uttered, "Get on all fours, baby; another new position for us."

I was already out of breath and close to my orgasm before he wanted to switch positions. We were lucky that no one was home.

I scrambled up onto my hands and knees; feeling Edward place his hands on my hips, pulling me back some. I leaned forward more, raising my ass further in the air. Edward ran a finger between my wet folds before I felt the head of cock enter me.

Once he was completely inside of me, "Holy shit!" He hissed. "This feels so, so different. I think I'm gonna love this way."

He pulled in and out of me, slowly at first, a few times before he slammed into me, causing me to yelp loudly, but it felt unbelievable.

His thrusts were so hard that my tits were smacking into each other. "Can I pull your hair a little, baby? I gotta see what this looks like."

"Yes, please." I moaned, loudly. "I'm so close, please." I pleaded. I'd take any stimulation he was offering.

He grabbed a hand full of my hair and pulled my head back. It didn't hurt like I expected it to, then he placed his other hand back on my hip. He was slamming into me pretty hard. I could feel his fingertips digging into my skin which would probably leave bruises by the time we were done.

"Oh, fuck yes!" He exclaimed. He was grunting with each thrust, hitting my trigger spot repeatedly.

"Oh, God, Edward. I'm gonna cum. Just a little harder."

"I'm gonna cum, too, baby. Right...NOW!" One final thrust into me and we were both erupting. In this position, I felt the pulse of his dick a whole lot better. "FUCK! I love you."

I dropped my head down to the mattress with my face pressed to it. "I love you, too," I said, feeling short-winded.

Edward squeezed my ass cheeks before pulling out; both of us flopping down on the bed. I was on my stomach and him on his back. "Jesus, you're gonna kill me," I said, turning my face to look at him.

He chuckled at me. "In that case, we can both die blissfully happy. You've spoiled me; I can't get enough of you."

We finally got out of bed and cleaned up, heading downstairs to the kitchen. After our workout, we were both starving. I made us both turkey sandwiches.

A few hours later, we were laid back on the couch in the living room, reading our assigned book for our Lit class. We were supposed to have it done before we returned to school from our Thanksgiving holiday.

Everyone showed up around four o'clock. I had planned to pull out all the left overs and making up a bunch of different stuff for dinner. It took me about an hour to have it all done. The whole crew was starving from their day of shopping.

By Monday, I was undeniably happy. I felt as if my whole life was perfect. That was before Edward dropped me off at home from school.

On the step, as I walked up, there was another rose with a card, waiting for me. At first I was too afraid to see what it said, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I picked it up. After I read what it said, I dropped it like it was a ball of flames.

_**Thinking of you**__**. I can't wait to see you, sweet girl.**_

* * *

**Hollandaise - Bolognese...Um yeah, I got confused. They sound the same, right? Yeah, but ones red and the other's white. SO, I owe a huge THANK YOU to Loopylou992 for pointing that out to me. **

**So, who thinks Anthony's lurking in the dark? Who thinks Rosalie knows him?**

* * *

Got quite a few stories to rec for ya. Are ya ready.

**Adopted Hearts by JA Mash**

**Tip of the Spear by Robsmyyummy Cabanaboy**

**Compass by SparklingWand**

**Where Have You Been? by lovelycullen**

**Glycerine by Livie79**

**In Your Room by LayAtHomeMom**

* * *

****There ya go. Check them out and let them know I sent you there way.

~Stephanie~


	21. Chapter 21

**PLEASE READ: **_I need to clarify a few things before we get started. Anthony and Edward are two completely different people. Anthony is a Vampire...Edward is not. Edward is Anthony's Doppelganger. They look exactly like each other...except their eye color. One has blue and the other has green. As of right now, I can't tell you which one has what color. The Edward that Bella is with is OUR Edward...the one we always love. His full name is Anthony Edward Cullen. AND as confusing as it sounds...ANTHONY is Edward Anthony Masen, but chose to go by Anthony because he felt that Edward was too much of an old mans name and attracted girls better. A little hint, Edward is a decendant/ aka distanst relative to Anthony. Hence...Doppelganger. That's all I'm sayin'. No more hints. Oh and because I don't mention the humming/vibrating everytime they have sex, it's there. Not quite as intense as the first time. Esme will be answering our questions soon enough. She's having difficulty at the moment for one particular reason, BUUUUTTTT, I can't say. Sorry. Don't shoot me._

**Sorry about the late update. I've been dealing with sick 5 year old twins. Just know I read every and all reviews. I may not reply but please know I do get them and appreciate every last one. They mean a lot to me. **

**Thanks LoopyLou992. You're the best and I love you. **

**Not beta'd...all mistakes are mine.**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT.**

**Update: 12/13/12**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 21**

**BPOV**

My knees buckled beneath me, causing me to sit on the top step. My heart was pounding against my sternum and the only thing I could think to do was call Edward. Last time, it was Alice, but I knew that he was who I needed there and then.

"_Hi, baby. Miss me already?"_

"Edward, he left another rose," I said in a quivering voice.

"_What?!"_ I heard the blinker start clicking in the background. _"I'll be right t__here."_

I was still sitting on the top step when he pulled up. "Baby, why're you still outside? You shoulda went in and locked the door. He could be lurking around here somewhere."

Tears were pouring from my eyes. "H...he s...said, he cou...couldn't wait to see me." I took a deep breath to try and compose myself before speaking again. I was a stuttering mess. "He plans on seeing me, Edward. I can't...I can't see him."

Edward picked me up before setting me back down to unlock the door. I was back in his arms within seconds.

He took me straight to my room and laid me down on the bed, crawling in next to me. He wrapped his arms around me. "Baby, he may see you, but he won't get you. There has to be something my mom can do."

I laid quietly, pondering what the hell I would do if I ever saw Anthony again. So many things I wanted to shout at him. I wanted to hit him, but I knew if I tried to hit him, he'd only hurt me worse.

We were quiet for a while until there was a knock at my door. Edward called out for them to come in. It was my mom. "What's wrong? Is she sick?" She asked as she sat down on the bed in front of me and pushed my hair from my forehead, feeling if I had a fever.

"No, she got another rose, today." I saw Edward point to where he laid the rose and card on my dresser. I didn't even know he picked it up and brought it with him. "He says he can't wait to see her."

"Over my dead body," mom refuted. "There's no way that boy's stepping foot in this house. If any of us have anything to do with it, he'd move back to where he came from.

"Yeah, hell," I finally said.

We talked a little more and came up with a password that only Edward could use if he ever showed up while my parents were home. He usually let himself in when I was alone. We decided on _Umpire, _but also, Edward made a commitment to always be with me or call before he came over.

Edward stayed until dinner. He called his mom and told her what was going on. She said she do some more reading in her spell books to see if she could find a way to keep him away from me. I really hoped she could find something. She was still researching the humming and vibration that happens when Edward and I are intimate. I just didn't want to be looking over my shoulder every time we were out somewhere.

The rest of the week flew by. We were getting prepared for our end of semester finals. Christmas was coming up fast and I had no idea what I wanted to get Edward. He had bought me, for my birthday, a beautiful diamond bracelet with hearts all around it. The hearts were incrusted with tiny chips of diamonds and was white gold. I love it and never take it off.

Our semester finals were finally out of the way and we were getting so excited about our three week Christmas break. Alice and I were planning a shopping trip to the mall. I hated that place. There always seemed to be too many people to bump elbows with.

We had one week of school left before our holiday vacation started and Esme called me and invited me over for dinner on the Friday before or last week. I went home with Edward after school which gave us some alone time before Carlisle and Esme were due home. Of course, Alice tagged along with Jasper to his house.

Our alone time consisted of major sweating, heavy breathing, heart pounding, and thrusting. Edward was getting very creative with our sexual conquest. We barely made it to the top of the stairs before he had me against the wall, slamming into me. My back and head hit the wall as he repeatedly pumped in and out. Before we were done, Edward eased us down to the floor with me straddling him. We both came with echoing moans. He rested his forehead between my breasts until we caught our breaths.

I could barely stand when it was time to get cleaned up.

In the many, many times that Edward and I have had sex, there was one thing I absolutely hated, especially if we stopped behind a grocery store for a quickie. It was the damp, squishy feeling of my panties from where his cum leaked out of me. Edward teased me, but I teased right back, telling him I'd rather feel squishy than dried and crusted. That had to be even more uncomfortable.

As much as we disliked those feelings, we still have sex every chance we got. I wouldn't change a thing because it was always a simple reminder that Edward made me feel that way. I could smack myself, now though, because of the way I first treated him, but he doesn't hold it against me; I was protecting my heart, he would say.

He was right, I was scared mainly because of his looks. I only see him as Edward now; the boy I wholeheartedly love and want to spend the rest of my life with.

Edward and I were in the kitchen when Carlisle came waltzing in. "Hey, kids," he called over his shoulder as he leaned over to look inside the fridge.

"Hey, dad."

"Hi, Carlisle." Edward and I greeted him at the same time.

"How was school?" Carlisle asked as he sat down at the table next to me.

We both shrugged our shoulders. "Eh...same shit, different day," Edward replied.

Carlisle chuckled. "Alice with Jasper?"

"Yeah, she'll be here for dinner, though," I answered.

"Good. The missus will be home shortly. She's had a long day and was stopping off at Gino's to grab a couple of pizzas. She's also got something planned for you." He patted my shoulder. "She's hopefully found a remedy to all this Anthony bullshit."

Edward and I nodded. I had faith in her, knowing she'd come up with something and I was pretty anxious to find out what it was.

I sent a quick text to my mom letting her know that I'd be having dinner at Edward's and I would be home by curfew. She replied that she loved me and she'd see me the next day.

Esme made it home about thirty minutes later with two huge pizzas and a bag with a couple of two-liter sodas. Carlisle and Edward jumped to help her before it all ended up on the floor. "Alice should be home in about ten minutes. I called her before I left Gino's." Esme said as she went around giving us all hugs. "After we eat, I'll need Edward and Bella's undivided attention."

"Okay, so I'm assuming you've come up with something to finally ward off this sick fu...freak from Bella."

Esme laughed, shaking her head. "Nice save, son and yes, it's for both of you, actually. I'm gonna try and do the same thing for the rest of the family, somehow. If he can't get to either one of you, after I've done my spell, who's to say he wouldn't try anyone else. I would just have to make sure Evan's out of the room when I do my business because of who he's dating."

Once Alice arrived, we all sat and talked about our day. We talked some about how over-joyed my parents were going to be once mom became pregnant. We joked about how Phil would have a ball and mitt ready and waiting for the baby to be born. I wondered if Alice already knew if they'd be having a boy or a girl and just wasn't saying anything. It was for the best anyway. I would hate knowing and not be able to tell my mom that I knew.

I knew it was hard on Carlisle to keep all this information to himself considering Phil was his best-friend. He knew exactly how much Phil wanted a biological child of his own. I also knew that Phil already considered me as a daughter, but he wasn't around when I was a baby. He wanted to have the diaper changes, late night feedings and all the puke one could handle. I couldn't wait until mom announced her pregnancy. I didn't care if I had a brother or sister; I just wanted the baby to be happy and healthy.

After dinner, we all made our way into the living room. Edward and I sat on the love-seat waiting for his mom to approach us. When she did, she handed us each a ring. Edward's was his class ring and mine was a simple sterling silver ring with an open heart attached to the band. "Never take these off. If Anthony so much as touches you or tries to feed from either of you, he's in for a huge shock of his life. To us, it would be like us getting shocked by static electricity, but to him, it's much worse. If for any reason he did touch either of you and tried to endure the electric shock, he could be burned. And because it's a spell, he wouldn't heal like he normally does if he were to get cut or break a bone. I have a similar spell for the rest of the family, except, I'm not sure how to keep Evan protected without him knowing about Rosalie."

"Wow." Was all I could say.

"So, let me get this straight. If Anthony or any other vampire tries to touch us, they'll be shocked or burned depending on how long they kept in contact with our skin?"

Esme nodded, "Yes, except those rings also contribute to something more. If by chance a vampire does try to feed from you, it would be deadly to them."

"This is all vampires, right? Not just Rosalie or Anthony." I had to know for sure if they were the only two we needed to keep a watch out for. Anthony was my main concern, but only until Rosalie gave me more reason to suspect her for anything else.

"Yes, because it was hard to just single Anthony out without having anything of his directly. Even in this case, if he wanted you bad enough, he could get someone else to get to you. He could compel someone to kidnap either of you. But as of right now, we can assume he won't do that unless he figures out what's been done. From what you told us, Bella, Anthony's maker already knows about witches and Warlocks, so it's best to just cover all bases."

I thought to myself for a moment. "Well, Marcus, Claire and Emmett did nothing wrong to me. What if they approach me in public and want a hug or something? Claire's much like you, Esme. She was always sweet and welcoming. She and Marcus didn't seem to have an evil bone in their body. Emmett was really nice, too, but looks can be deceiving." I thought back to all the times that Claire greeted me with hugs and small kisses on my cheek. The same with Marcus, but then again, they could've been the best actors in the world.

Esme shook her head. "Like I said before, honey, unless you have something that was a belonging to Anthony, I can't direct the spell just to him. This is where you need to put your guard up. If you do run into them somewhere, you need to make sure you stay back from them or try not to make skin to skin contact with them. Ignore them if you must, but if they so much as touch you or Edward, they'll know something isn't right with you."

"I hate this. I hate that you have to go through all this just to protect me and your family. It's all my fault; I'm sorry," I expressed, dropping my head into my hands.

Carlisle knelt down in front of me. "Bella, you're our family and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." He pulled me into a hug. "You're my best-friends kid, so that means you're practically my kid, too."

Carlisle pulled away and stood up. Alice took his place in front me and wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you. All of you for everything you've done."

"You're my best-friend, Bella, and like my dad said, there's nothing we wouldn't do to help protect the ones we love. You're stuck with us forever," Alice said, reassuring me that no matter how badly I felt about them doing so much for me, I didn't have a choice in the matter because we were all now considered family.

We all talked a little longer and when Edward pulled into my driveway to drop me at home, he turned the ignition off and turned to face me. "Get your ring out."

Edward had immediately put his ring on, but I slipped mine into my front pocket before we left. I wasn't used to wearing jewelry and didn't think to put it on right away.

"Why?"

"You'll see," he said as I reached into the front pocket of my jeans and pulled it out.

I handed it to him and he looked at it for a few seconds before speaking. "I bought this for you. Call it an early Christmas present. Mom saw it sitting on my bed the day I got it and suggested using it for her spell." He reached for my right hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing my ring finger. "It's a promise ring. A promise that one day, I'll buy you a huge ass diamond ring and ask you to marry me. It's also a promise that I'll always be loyal to you, love you and respect you."

He slid the ring over my finger. Tears streamed over my cheeks as I looked down at the ring he had given me. "Thank you. I love it and I don't need a huge ass diamond, by the way. I like simple but elegant at the same time." I winked at him causing him to chuckle at me.

"I'll keep that in mind." We both leaned in and wrapped our arms around each other. "I love you, Bella and I always will."

"I love you, too, Edward. I promise to be loyal and respectful to you, also. You make me so happy." I pulled back from our hug and placed my hands on his cheeks. "How could I not be happy? You give the best orgasms that any girl could ask for."

He laughed, "You're the only girl I'll give 'em to, though."

I pressed my lips to his then sucked his bottom lip into my mouth, clamping down on it with my teeth. "You better," I said through my lip prison.

I released him, "Ow...damn, woman. You trying to eat me or what?"

Reaching across the console, I slipped my hand between his legs, smoothing it up the inside of his thigh. He growled at me, "Don't start something we can't finish."

"Sorry; you're so irresistible." I leaned over and gave him one more kiss. "Okay, I'm going in. Don't forget, I'm shopping with Alice tomorrow. I'll see you afterward, though."

"I remember. Call me before you go to sleep." He kissed me, again. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Drive safe."

I got out of the truck and waved over my shoulder at him. He waited until I was inside before he left. He wanted to make sure I made it inside without fail.

How could I not seriously love him?

As I crawled into bed that night, I had the biggest smile on my face. My life seemed so perfect, but with a flaw. That flaw being Anthony. With as much stuff that Esme was doing to try and protect us, I couldn't help but feel thankful and regretful at the same time.

I was thankful for the life I was living and regretful that I couldn't do more to help and also, regretful for even bringing this situation with me when I moved here. I guess that's what they call baggage. Mine was Anthony, but I wasn't quite so sure how to cut the strings to it. I wanted him to be a distant memory. That's how I thought it was until that first rose showed up. All I could hope for now was, that when he does show up, which I know he will, that he doesn't make things difficult for me. That's only wishful thinking on my part.

So, I closed my eyes and moved all my thoughts to Edward. My smile was back full force which lead me into wonderful dreams of my future.

* * *

**I could edit this thing six times before I post it and there's probably a mispelled word in there somewhere. I'm exhausted right now. That's my excuse. Oh well, if you don't know what I meant, then...IDK...please don't tell me. I'm sure I'll find it and fix it. I always read my chapters once I get the email of my update. **

**Just few rec's...**

* * *

Changing My Course by twilover76

O Holy Christmas by CaraNo

You Own Me by BeeCute82

Complicated by LyricalKris

Not What She Seems by Savage7289

Caged by Savage7289

In Your Room by LayAtHomeMom

* * *

**Enjoy!**

**Until next week.**

**~Steph~**


	22. Chapter 22

**Not much to say except, I wish everyone Happy Holidays. Please be safe. And tons of Happy Wishes for the new year.**

**Another little hint, there will be a few more filler chapters before we start to get into some action. I'm sure you all can guess, but I can't reveal how. Please hang with me. You've all been the best and I can't thank you enough for giving GD a chance. Just know that if I don't reply to your review, I do read them all. They're all very much appreciated.**

**Thanks LoopyLou992...you're the best!**

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Not beta'd...all mistakes are mine.**

**Updated: 12/19/2012**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 22**

**BPOV**

* * *

If there was one thing that I loathed more than Anthony, it would be shopping. It was utter hell. If I had the powers, I'd wave my hand and part the walkway so I didn't have to bump into one more person. I was on the verge of going postal by the time Alice and I sat down to have lunch. "Next year, can we please make sure we have all the shopping done months in advance?"

"That takes all the fun out of it, though," Alice said, biting into her chicken sandwich from Chick fil-A.

I scoffed at her. "You're having fun? You're truly insane."

"Oh, stop. I know you at least got that necklace for my brother. Which he's gonna love, by the way," she said before reaching for her drink.

"Thanks. I wasn't so sure at first. He did buy this for me." I waved my finger in front of her face. "My promise ring."

Alice looked guilty. "I saw it last night and I helped pick it out. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind, at all. I love it," I said, smiling from ear to ear.

We finished lunch before we set off to do more shopping. By the time I dropped Alice off at home, I was absolutely exhausted. I was surprised I could keep my eyes open long enough to have dinner with my mom and Phil. My dad was still at work and didn't get home until after I had already gone to bed.

I took a nice, long, hot shower before I climbed into bed. I needed to call Edward before I went to sleep, considering I hadn't seen him all day.

"_Hey, how was shopping? _He asked as soon as he answered the phone.

"Just glad it's all done. I hate last minute shopping; I'm so tired. I'll probably sleep most the day tomorrow. I'm due for my period, too, and that just adds to the irritation with everything," I complained, then yawned.

Edward chuckled at me. _"Yeah, you do tend to be a little bitchy before you start. I've got_ _that shit memorized."_

"So, you're telling me that you keep tabs for when I start my period?" I knew I sounded a tad bit irritated, but it was because he laughed at me.

"_Yes, baby. I know everything there is to know about you. I know it all. You name it...I_ _can tell you," _he replied. I didn't respond right away because, again, I was trying to hold my temper. I didn't want to be mad at him. There was no reason to be. Today just took a lot out of me.

I relented and sighed. "Just tell me you love me and can't wait to see me tomorrow."

"_I love you more than anything and I'll see you bright and early, tomorrow. I wanna tak__e you out to breakfast; I didn't get to see you all day, today,"_ he whined and continued. _"Besides, I'm sure you'll feel a whole lot better once you get some sleep then see me tomorrow. I have an excellent cure for your crankiness."_

I knew exactly what he was talking about. "Edward, that's the last thing I'm..."

He cut me off before I could finish. _"Baby, shut your pie hole__. I'm not saying as soon as I see you, tomorrow. You'll probably have my pants down to my ankles before we even back out of the dri__veway."_

My mouth dropped open, a horrible sound coming out. "I am not like that. You're the one that's always horny."

"_Really?" _He chuckled.

"It's all your fault. You're the one who had your hand up my shirt, pinching my nipple. You know damn good and well what that does to me. It drives me crazy."

"_I do know and among other things that drive you crazy. Now, I love you; get some sleep and I'll see you about nine o'clock. I wanna spend the whole day with you tomorrow and I don't care what we do. I've missed you like crazy, today. It's not normal_ _for us to go a whole day without seeing each other."_ I definitely missed him, but in all honesty, I had a good time with Alice. Spending time with her was well deserved. We'd been so caught up with our boyfriends, that we've had to make time for one another.

I sighed before speaking."I love you, too. I'll see you in the morning."

"_Yeah, you will. Good night, baby,"_ he said before hanging up.

As tired as I was, I still laid awake for another twenty minutes or so.

Everything kept running through my head. I'd list things off that needed to be done, then think about Edward. I'd think about all the gifts that I had bought for everyone, then think about Edward. He was like a reoccurring loop in my head. I was a love sick teenager that had the best boyfriend in the world. If I could put it up on a billboard and announce to the whole world that Edward Cullen was my boyfriend, I would.

That night, I dreamed of a white dress, flowers and tuxedos. Eventually it morphed into Edward fondling my whole body that brought me into a sexual frenzy.

My dream of being so worked up and horny was conveyed into reality when I woke up to Edwards hand down the front of my sleep pants. He'd done it numerous times and it was the best way to wake up.

He was thrusting two fingers inside of me as I pushed my pussy into his hand. Then I realized something very important. "Edward, my parents are home. You're crazy for even trying." I huffed and sat up in my bed, quickly. "Thanks, now I'm all worked up."

He chuckled at me then grimaced. "Yeah, well, at least you don't have to worry about anyone seeing a tent in your pants."

"Your fault," I said, whisper yelling at him, pointing my finger toward his very prominent erection. "You shouldn't have started something knowing you couldn't finish." I reached over and grabbed my bottle of water and chugged half of it. I had been so thirsty, lately.

Edward rolled to his back, growling. He smacked his hands down on the bed. "It's so hard to will this thing away." I looked down to his impressive length that was pushing out the front of his sweat pants.

"Can we please go in your closet so you can suck me off? Please? I promise it won't take long," he begged, looking up at me with the most pitiful expression that I've seen grace his face.

I giggled at him. "Edward..."

"Please..." he continued begging.

I scrunched my eyes, peering at him. He was definitely going to pay for this later. "Fine, but let me start the shower first and we need to keep the closet door cracked open just in case my mom comes in. If she does, you better come up with something quick."

He chuckled evilly. "Oh, I will. I'll just tell her that you're in the shower and I'm picking out your clothes."

"You think of everything, don't you?"

"Yup," he responded, jumping up off the bed, heading towards my closet.

I, reluctantly, got up and made my way into the bathroom to turn the shower on. _Did I mention that he'd pay for this later?_

I walked into the closet and pushed the door, leaving it open a couple of inches. "Stand with your back to the door."

Edward moved to where I told him to stand then I noticed his dick was already out and ready for me. He only had the front of his sweat pants pushed down far enough to release it.

I dropped to my knees and immediately took his hard length into my hand. I pumped him a few times before I licked up the underside of his shaft. Edward took a shuddering breath before he placed a hand on the back of my head. I knew if I played with his balls, he wouldn't last long at all. He never did, especially if I suck them into my mouth a few times.

I engulfed his hardness, as much as I could, into my mouth and began sucking vigorously. I could already feel his balls begin to tighten up.

The faster I sucked and slobbered all over his dick, the more he was becoming weak in the knees. I knew what he liked and gripped him a little tighter; sucking harder.

The head of his dick was becoming more of a purple color the harder I sucked. "Oh, God, baby, that's it."

I moved down to his balls, sucking one, then the other into my mouth. I rolled them side to side with my tongue. "Oh, fuck!" He whisper-yelled as his balls tightened even more.

I skimmed my nose along his length as I dragged my tongue back up to his head. I began to hum once I sucked him back into my mouth. Edward lowly growled. "I'm gonna cum."

I started pumping faster and pushed him as far as I could, into my mouth...without gagging. His dick began pulsing and I could feel his hot cum as it hit the back of my throat. He still had his hand on the back of my head and pushed it a little as he continued to pulse inside my mouth.

When I knew he was done, I popped him out of my mouth and pulled his sweats back up as I stood. "Fuck...thank you, baby. I owe you."

"You better believe you do. You owe me two orgasms to your one, buddy." I chastised him as I walked out of the closet and towards the bathroom.

Edward stood slack-jawed as I looked over my shoulder. "Now, find me some clothes while I shower."

As soon as I closed the bathroom door, I giggled as I stripped out of my clothes. He was so gullible, sometimes.

When I came out, Edward was gone from my room and there was a pair of sweats and a pull over hoodie, laying on the bed. There was a piece of paper draped on top with two words scrawled on it – _Easy access,_ was all it said.

I shook my head and proceeded to get dressed. I had no clue what he had planned for us today, but I was looking forward to it.

On the Wednesday before Christmas, Edward, Alice and Jasper and I, were hanging out. We decided to go see a movie and have lunch. If I knew what was going to happen, I would've stayed home.

While we were out, we ran into Evan and Rosalie. I had no clue why, but Rosalie continually sneered at me as we were sitting and eating our lunch together. I tried to ignore her the best I could. I didn't think she had a clue I knew what she was. That changed the moment she, once again, cornered me in the bathroom.

"What do you want, Rosalie?"

I wasn't afraid of her, by any means.

"Oh, nothing. Just catching up with my friend, that's all," she said, nonchalantly.

I glared at her through the mirror. "I think your friend is waiting; can you please move so I can leave?"

"Bella, you wound me," she said, snidely.

I tilted my head, shaking it. "Why's that?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "You don't have a caring bone in your body," I asked, sarcastically.

"Tsk, tsk, Bella. You're the friend I'm talking about. We haven't had a chance to have a chit-chat in a long while and I'm getting bored. Got any juicy gossip to share about Anthony?"

I straightened my stance, squaring my shoulders before I spoke. "First of all, we're far from friends and secondly, Edward and I are none of your business. Now if you'll excuse me...please."

I started to walk passed her, but she grabbed my hand, pulling me back. I started laughing when she screamed and started shaking her hand like it was on fire. I knew I just gave her the shock of her life, so I stepped closer to her, raising my hand to touch her face. She backed away from me and landed with a thud against the wall. "Poor, Rosalie, what's the matter?"

She kept looking at her hand like she couldn't figure out what had just happened. I couldn't thank Esme enough for this little zapping spell she cast on me and Edward. It was beyond priceless. _Would it be wrong to wish she'd grab me and hold on for dear life?_

Alice came barreling into the bathroom. "What the hell happened?"

I chuckled, pointing over at Rosalie. "Rosalie decided she wanted to grab my arm to try and keep me from walking away from her."

It was Alice's turn to giggle. "Stupid vampires."

Rosalie's head snapped up. "What'd you just say?"

"What's wrong with your hearing? I didn't know vampires could be defective." I stepped closer to her. "We know what you are, but we have no clue why you're with Evan. You should stick to your own kind."

"Fuck you, bitch. I have no clue what Anthony sees in you." She shook her head. "How the hell did you shock me like that?"

"Awe...who's tsking who now? Maybe that'll teach you to keep your hands to yourself. And just for your information, we all know what you are. We've known for a while. Now, why don't you tell us why you're with Evan? He doesn't deserve to be with someone like you. Evan is a nice guy and needs someone who actually has a heart." I knew she wouldn't answer my question.

It was her turn to chuckle. "You humans are so naïve and the biggest fools." She stepped towards me, looking me right in the eyes. "You're gonna go out there and tell your boyfriend that you're taking a long walk with me."

"It won't work, Rosalie. Your compelling is useless against us and unless you want Alice or myself, to tell Evan what you are, then I advise you to stay the fuck away from us. Esme and Carlisle are giving you the benefit of not doubting you to hurt their son, but me and Alice think you're up to something."

Alice stepped forward. "Are you feeding from my brother?"

Rosalie shook her head, looking down at the floor. "No, I can't compel him." She seemed remorseful. "At first I was able to, but I haven't been able to for a while now. You're a witch, aren't you?"

"I'm not at liberty to answer that question." Alice grabbed my hand. "C'mon, Bella, let's leave Vampalie to herself."

As we were making our way out of the door, Rosalie called after me. "You've made a huge mistake, Bella. Anthony's not happy at all."

"Just ignore her. I've never seen my brother more happier than when he's with you," Alice said, rolling her eyes over at me.

When we got back to the table, Evan kept looking around us. "Where's Rosalie?"

"She's still in the bathroom; girl problems." I knew if I said that, he wouldn't question us anymore. Men always shuddered at the thought of a woman and their period. Well, except maybe, Edward. He doesn't have a problem talking about it.

When Rosalie came out from the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of her hand that had grabbed me. She was babying it like she'd really hurt it. It almost seemed a little discolored like Dumbledore's hand in _'The Half Blood Prince'_. I didn't know the spell that Esme used was supposed to leave any marks. Maybe she gripped me longer than I thought.

For the rest of our outing, Rosalie kept to herself, only whispering stuff to Evan. As much as I didn't want Evan hurt, I hoped she broke up with him, saving him from a heavier heartache down the road.

* * *

Bwhahahaha! Poor Vampalie...she got a little shock, didn't she?

Now, for some rec's...

* * *

**Complicated by LyricalKris**

**Under the Blood Moon by Paixao**

**Blast From the Past by JailyForever**

**To Fix My Past Mistakes by JailyForever** (sequel to Blast From the Past)

**Taken by LoopyLou992**

* * *

**Love y'all,**

**Steph**


	23. Chapter 23

**First off, I need to apologize for the long delay. My personal life has been turmoil these last few months. My granddaughter passed away three days after Christmas and I just didn't have it in me to type or even think about writing...period. Then, just today, we had to put my dog to sleep...permanantly. She was like one of my kids. I'll miss her like crazy. **

**I hope you're still with me. Hopefully after this long delay, I can get back on my Wednesday updates.**

**Thank you Loopylou992 for being the best pre-reader and pointing out that I should say SALE not SELL...LMAO! I did that shit more than once, too.**

**SM owns...I DO NOT!**

**Update: 2/27/2013**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 23**

**BPOV**

Christmas day was finally upon us. Everyone was gathering at Carlisle and Esme's house. My dad was especially happy. He had finally bought a house three streets up from where my mom and Phil's house was. I loved having my dad living in Florida. I still didn't see him a whole lot because his job kept him extremely busy. We made the most of it when we did see each other, though.

"Hey, baby girl, Merry Christmas," he greeted, hugging me when he walked into the living room where everyone was chatting and enjoying light snacks before the big dinner was served later. I wasn't eating much because I didn't feel too well.

The only person unaccounted for, was Evan. He hadn't arrived yet. Esme said he was having a late start. Apparently, he'd been up most the night and didn't get much sleep. I wondered if it had anything to do with Rosalie.

"Hi, Daddy; Merry Christmas. They finally let you out on good behavior over at the precinct?" I asked, jokingly.

He shrugged his shoulders as we sat down next to each other on the couch. "I'd been there since three this morning. Huge case, but I can't talk about it."

I nodded. "I know, I know." I waved my hand. "Always top secret."

"That it is." He draped his arm over the back of the couch behind me and I leaned into him. "You doin' okay?"

"Yeah...great actually. I'm glad I moved here and even more happier now that you're here," I said, snaking my arm around his body to hug him.

He patted my back. "I'm glad too, baby girl." He nudged me to move. "Lean up for a sec. I gotta talk to you about something." I sat up at his request, looking at him quizzically. "I need to fly out on Wednesday to head back to Forks. The house finally sold and there's papers I need to sign and I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to come with me."

"How long will you be there?" If he was going to be there for more than two days, I'd stay home. I hated being away from Edward for more than a day.

"Just a few days." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, again. "You don't hafta come. It's just a quick trip. I just thought maybe you'd wanna get outta town for a bit."

I smiled up at him. "Can Edward come? I don't wanna be bored sitting in the hotel room. Maybe I can show him around town while you get the paperwork done."

He grumbled something under his breath before speaking. "I don't mind, but he has to share a bed with me or sleep on the floor. Maybe I can get him a cot. He's not sleeping in the same bed as my daughter."

Edward wasn't paying attention to our conversation because he was watching a game on the TV, but when my dad said he'd have to share a bed with him, he had heard that. "Who's sharing a bed with whom?"

"My dad needs to go back to Forks for a few days to sign some papers for the sale of his house. I asked if you could come and he doesn't mind, but you'd have to share a bed with him or sleep on a cot or even the floor; my bed's off limits," I explained, looking up at him. I smiled, hoping he'd agree to come along.

He smiled back at me. "I'd love to come, but I'm not sleeping with your dad; that's just wrong."

My dad faked hurt, placing a hand to his chest. "Hey, I don't snore, I'll have you know." Then he chuckled. "Although it's been a while since I've laid next to a warm body. Sure you don't wanna share a bed?" He asked jokingly, waggling his eyebrows at Edward.

"Um...no, thank you. I'm sure the cot will be just fine," Edward retorted, grimacing at the thought of sharing a bed with my dad. "I'm sure my parents will say it's okay, but let me ask."

I looked at him funny. "Edward, you're eighteen, why do you have to ask?"

"Common courtesy, baby. I still live in their house, so I guess old habits are hard to break," he explained. I nodded, understanding what he meant.

"You're a good kid, Edward." My dad reached over behind me and patted Edward's shoulder. "Just keep my daughter happy and we'll be fine."

Edward smiled, nodding his head. "No problem there, sir. Her happiness is my top priority."

We continued sitting around. Eventually opening gifts. Edward loved the necklace I got him. It was a white gold chain that had interlocking rings. One ring said _**Love **_and the other said _**Forever**_**.** Edward also got a necklace for me that was similar to his. Although, mine had diamonds throughout the rings. Alice had a mischievous look on her face. She probably had everything to do with our gifts almost matching.

My parents and Phil chipped in together and got a bunch of new accessories for my car. New rims and tires, some seat covers and a new stereo system. Of course it was one of the best brands, according to Phil. I had never heard of them before, but all the components had the words _**Rockford Fosgate**__, _written on them. All I knew was, that shit sounded good in my newly pimped out ride.

Edward was a little jealous and said his truck would be parked from now on so he could drive my car everyday. He was too funny, but he also knew that I'd let him drive anytime he wanted to.

The Wednesday we were due to fly out for our trip to Forks, didn't start out so well. I woke up abruptly, around four in the morning, making a mad dash to the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet to throw up.

I was feeling worse than what I was the few days prior. It was probably the flu and that sucked because I wanted to take Edward around and show him Forks.

On the way to the airport, Dad stopped and bought some _Dramamine_ for me. It worked for the most part, but made me tired as hell. I slept the entire flight to Seattle. Thank goodness Dad booked us a room for the night before we drove to Forks. I wasn't sure the three hour drive there, would do so well with my stomach. Dad kept apologizing even though it wasn't his fault, I was so sick.

Edward kept pampering me, jumping up every time I needed something. That night, my dad let it slide by letting Edward sleep next to me. I was reluctant because I didn't want Edward to get sick, also, but my dad knew Edward wouldn't do anything especially with me being so sick and with him in the bed next to us. I did nothing but vomit up bile for the rest of the night.

By morning, I felt somewhat better. I wasn't as queasy, but still felt weak.

We arrived in Forks by noon and checked into the hotel. Dad's appointment was at two and asked for us to tag along. He wanted to stop off at the diner and have a late lunch then head over to the house to make sure everything was still in tip-top shape. The realtor suggested it even though the papers would already be signed. I think maybe he just wanted to get one last look at the house that he had lived in for so long.

As Edward and I waited for my dad to sign the papers, we decided to take a walk around the strip mall where the realtors office was located. We peeked in windows, but didn't go inside. Our hands were interlocked as we strolled along, chit-chatting about anything and everything.

"Bella?!" I heard someone yell from behind me. I wasn't expecting to see anyone while I was there.

Edward and I turned and saw a tall, slim girl with a dark hair that was in a high ponytail and black rimmed glasses. "Angela! Oh, my God!"

We practically sprinted and wrapped our arms around each other in a tight hug. Angela had been the only real friend I had in Forks when I lived here before. She knew of my heartbreak after Anthony and was the only person who ever tried to take my mind off the agony that I had gone through. She kept me busy with things. Mostly mundane, and it worked, keeping me from wondering and putting myself back into a catatonic state. I owed her for being such a great friend.

"What the heck are you doing here? I thought you moved to Florida?" Angela stepped back from me and looked at me from head to toe. "Damn, you're so tan."

I chuckled. "Yeah, that's the luxury of living on the beach." I shrugged my shoulders. " Anyways, my dad needed to come back and sign some papers for the sale of his house. We're only here for a couple of days."

"God, I wish I knew or I would've taken a day off to spend with you," she said, glancing over my shoulder. "Um...Bella, why's he here?"

I looked behind me where Edward stood with his hands in his pockets. "After what he did to you and you're back with him?" She hissed, seeming really bothered from her tone of voice. "Bella, please tell me you're not..."

"No, no, Ang." I waved Edward over. "This is my boyfriend, Edward, and yes I know, he looks exactly like Anthony; they could be identical twins."

"Uh, yeah, they can." Angela extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Angela; it's nice to meet you."

Edward smiled as he shook her hand. "Hi, Angela, I'm Edward and believe me, I'm nothing like Anthony."

"Wow! You really do look just like him," she said in awe. "So, have you two been together for long?"

I nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah, um...it was about the end of July. A few weeks after my mom and Phils wedding."

"That's where we met," Edward said, seeming proud. "And believe me, she was such a sight for sore eyes for me that it was like being hit in the face."

I shook my head, giggling at his silliness. "What Edward's saying is...I literally punched him in the face. He had a black eye for about a week because I thought he was Anthony."

Angela's mouth popped open. "You did? Oh, Bella, I would've loved to see that."

"I'm just lucky he pursued me as much as he did," I said, smiling up at Edward, wrapping my arms around his body. "He was patient and proved he was nothing like Anthony."

Angela looked down at her watch. "Shit, I gotta go. I'm on my lunch break and I need to grab something to eat before I head back." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and piece of paper. "Here's my cell. Please make sure you program it and when you do, text me so I have your number, okay?"

We hugged each other, again. "I will. As soon as we get back to the hotel room. I didn't bring my phone with me."

"You better. And Edward, take care of my dear friend. It was nice meeting you."

"You, too, Angela," Edward replied, slipping his arm around my shoulders before we turned to head back to the car. He placed a kiss on my temple. "She seems really nice."

I nodded up at him. "Yeah, she's been one of my best-friends. If it weren't for her, I don't think I would've made it through Anthony leaving me."

"I guess I can thank her for keeping you sane, right?"

"Yeah, she's one of the best. I really do need to keep in contact with her. Please remind me to put her number in my phone when we get back to the hotel," I requested, wrapping my arm around his waist as we walked back to the car.

My dad was leaning against the car when we walked up. "You two ready?"

"Yeah, I'm starving. I've actually kept my breakfast down, so I think I'm okay to eat a little something." Edward and I climbed into the car before dad took his place behind the wheel. It was weird being back and showing Edward where I had lived for so long. He thought it was beautiful, but never envisioned himself living in a town like Forks.

About six minutes later, we were pulling into the parking lot of the diner. We had eaten there so many times that it was like walking into _**Cheers**_ and hearing everyone yell out _**Norm**_, when we walked in.

Felix, the owner, came rushing out and grabbing me up into his arms. "Look at you. All tan like a beach bunny."

"Hi, Felix," I said as he let my feet touch the floor, again. "It's so good to see you."

"You, too, my little Miss Swan." Felix looked up and smiled at my dad. He extended his hand. "Charlie, it's good to see you, bud. How's Florida treating you?"

Dad smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Not too bad. They're keeping me busy with work."

"Good, good. Charlotte's in the back." Felix looked over my dads shoulder and saw Edward. "This boy with you?"

My smile grew, ten fold. "Yup, this is Edward, my boyfriend. Dad let him come along."

Edward stepped forward, extending his hand toward Felix. "Nice to meet you," he said. "Charlie had to make sure he got to eat here one last time before we head back to Florida. There has to be good food here, huh?"

"Good to meet you, too, kiddo. And I sure as heck hope the food's good. I'm busier than a herd of ants at a pic-nick on a warm sunny day." Edward looked at him funny and just nodded his head. "C'mon, I'll show you to Charlie's table."

Felix led us to where my dad usually sat when he came to the diner to eat. I had eaten with him there, on more than one occasion. They did have good food, too.

After we were seated, Felix excused himself and went to get our drinks. We were perusing the menus when Charlotte and Felix, both, came walking back with our beverages. Charlotte pulled me into a death grip hug before doing the same to my dad.

We ordered our food with promises to exchange information with them before we left. My appetite was better than it had been the few days before. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with fruit salad on the side. Of course Edward ordered a Bacon Double Cheeseburger and a plate full of fries that he shared with my dad. They both ate like they hadn't eaten in days.

When we finished, we said our goodbyes to Felix and Charlotte. They said they were due for a vacation and Florida was looking better and better for them. It'd be great to have them visit. Dad offered a place for them to stay to save money and they wholeheartedly, agreed.

Once we reached the house, it was so surreal to be back. We couldn't go inside, but I pointed out what room was mine as we pulled into the driveway. Dad said he'd only be a few minutes and told us to stay in the car, but we got out and walked around the front yard, looking through the windows of the house.

We waited by the car and after fifteen minutes of waiting, Edward and I decided to go in search of my dad. "I wonder what's taking him so long. He said he'd only be a few minutes."

"Who knows," Edward said. "Maybe he found something that needed to be fixed."

As we rounded the back of the house, I heard my dad talking to someone. I wasn't sure who it was, but when I didn't hear anyone respond, I stopped and listened for a minute. "I've only got a few minutes. Bella's out front with her boyfriend."

I peeked around the corner and saw my dad standing next to a gigantic dog. It was russet brown and it's feet were the size of my head. "You know I can't understand you when you're like that," my dad said to the dog. It bowed it's head and what happened next, freaked me the fuck out.

The dog, changed into a guy and not just any guy, it was Jacob from the reservation. I couldn't help my reaction. I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him around the corner. "What the fuck?!"

Dad and Jacob, both, spun around, surprised that we had seen what happened. "Bella, what the hell? I told you to wait out front."

"No, Dad, what the hell is this?" I looked over at Jacob, whom was completely stark naked. "And you, you're a shape shifter?"

Jacob had his hands covering his junk. "Let me put some pants on then I'll explain," he said before disappearing into the woods only to reappear a minute later wearing a pair of cut off blue jeans. He put his hands up, defensively. "Before you start yelling at your dad about anything, let me explain, okay?"

I waved my hand at him. "Yes, please explain why I come around the corner and see my dad talking to a shape shifter, of all things." I glanced up at my dad. "How long have you known?"

"He found out by accident. Well, sorta. He was visiting my dad when I phased for the first time. He refused to leave when my dad told him that I'd be fine. When I phased, it was something I knew that may possibly happen to me considering it's hereditary in our tribe. The fever only sets in when there's Vampires in our area." He continued to explain, but when he mentioned vampires, I stopped listening and began wondering if he knew about Anthony and his family.

I looked up at my dad. "I know about everything, Bella. Vampires, Witches, Wolves. You name it, I know all about it."

"And you never said anything to me? Why? Especially now that you know what Anthony is?" I was getting very upset with my dad. If he knew all this time and didn't say anything to me, makes me wonder if he even cared how I felt after Anthony left.

"Bella listen, it wasn't my place to say anything to you. I couldn't. It was to protect the tribe. It's their story to tell and I figured that since Anthony was gone, I didn't need to say anything." He was trying to reason with me, but it still upset me because if he knew, he could have been someone I could confide in about the whole situation. He could have been there more for me. I could have opened up to him instead of keeping it all bottled up, waiting for it to explode.

My feelings were hurt by his actions and even though he had a reasonable explanation, it still pained me that I was kept in the dark about what he knew. "Baby girl, I'm sorry, okay? I couldn't say anything and I thought you'd be okay and you are. You moving to Florida helped you and I couldn't be more grateful for Edward and Alice."

"But dad, I really needed someone to..."

"I know," he said, stepping over and wrapping me in his arms. "I'm really, truly sorry. I'll make it up to you, somehow, I promise."

"Listen Bells, your dad was only doing what he could. When those freaks moved into town and Sam was the first to phase, we knew something wasn't right. We had to sit through a tribe ceremony for the elder chiefs to tell the stories of our ancestors. That's when we found out it was Vampires that caused the gene in our blood to react to their presence. Your dad was in the wrong place at the wrong time, when he found out. But he..."

I put my hands up. "That's fine, Jacob. You don't need to explain anymore. I just...it'll take some time for me to process the fact that my dad has known about Vampires this whole time and now Wolves."

"Listen, I need to get to the task at hand, here. I know all about Rosalie. That's why I needed to meet with Jacob in the first place. I need some reinforcements in Florida to help protect you and I was going to suggest that Jacob come back home with us." My dad sighed and looked at all three of us. "What some of you don't know is, the bite from a Wolf inflicted on a Vampire, will kill them and I feel that if Jacob's with us in Florida, he can help protect you and maybe keep me from having a heart attack at such a young age.

"I'm protected, though, daddy. All of us are. Alice and Esme helped with that." I wasn't sure if he knew that Alice and Esme were witches or not, but since the wolf was out of the bag about everything else, why not let him know about the witches among us at home.

My dad raised his eyebrows at me. "Really? And just how did Alice and Esme help with that?"

"Charlie." Edward finally broke his silence. "My mom and sister are witches and they put a protection spell on us so that we can't be compelled and if a Vampire touches us, they'll wish they never did."

Dad shook his head. "What the hell is this world coming to?" He looked up at me, not seeming too surprised at all about Esme and Alice being witches. "Well, in that case, I'm glad you're protected, so right now, we need to head to the reservation and have a chat with Billy about Jacob coming to stay with us for a while."

Apparently, dad and Billy had already discussed Jacob coming back to Florida with us. Billy had contacted his family attorney and had temporary guardianship papers drawn up so that my dad could make any legal decisions that concerned Jacob as long as he was in his care. I had asked how long he was staying and the only answer I got was...indefinitely.

I was, silently, saying the same thing my dad was saying. _"What's this world coming to?"_

* * *

**Again, sorry for the delay. I'm going to try and get the next chapter ready by the weekend so I can get back to regularly scheduled program. LOL.**

**Hope you liked it. We finally get to meet the wolves. What other kind of supernatural beings do you think might being coming out of the woodwork?**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Until Wednesday...Hopefully.**

**~Stephanie~**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey! Guess what? Nothing really, just seeing if you're still there. **

**Yes, I know...late again. I'm sorry. I could grovel all day, but that wouldn't get me anywhere. I'm just tired from work and just plain laziness is my excuse.**

**Anywho, I hope you like this chapter.**

**ANY AND ALL MISTAKES ARE MINE!**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT!**

**Update: 3/15/2013**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 24**

**BPOV**

* * *

Our trip home seemed long and agonizing. My nausea was hitting me again full force, but I didn't let anyone know. I took the Dramamine before we got on the plane. I didn't want to pull anymore attention to myself. I was only throwing up about once a day, but hid it as much as possible. I didn't want anyone to worry. If it got worse, I'd make sure to go to the doctor.

Dad dropped Edward off at home first due to the time of night, and because it was late, I decided to stay at my dads house. I didn't feel like lugging my one and only bag up the stairs to my room.

Jacob settled right in after only a day. It was like he'd always lived with my dad. Edward and I had shown him around town and the Monday coming up, would be our first day back to school after the Christmas break. Dad was registering him and told him there was no way he would be acting like it was a vacation for him. He also expected him to do his work and maintain a good grade average. Chores were also expected to be done. He was lucky my dad only had desert landscaping, leaving his yard full of cactus, palm trees and small rocks. It was a beautiful set-up. His backyard looked like a mirage with his in-ground pool.

Friday night rolled around. It was New Years Eve, so my mom and Phil were having a party. Of course Phil's team was invited along with quite a few of my mom's colleagues from work. Her and Esme had worked around the clock for two days to get the whole house set up. It was like a night club opened up.

Evan was another story. Apparently, Rosalie dumped him. She told him it just wasn't working out with no explanation whatsoever. I had a feeling it had a lot to do with what happened at the restaurant. She was found out, but what puzzled me most of all was, even though we knew about her and she knew we had protection put on us, she still tried to get me by myself a couple of times. We knew it was a matter of time before she got frustrated over the whole situation and flounced on Evan.

The party was full swing. Music was played, drinks passed around and Hors d'oeuvre's passed out. Mom made the best stuffed mushrooms, stuffed clams and mini quiches'.

Around eleven thirty, mom and Phil got everyone's attention. Apparently they had an announcement to make.

"Can we get everyone's attention, please? Phil and I have some news that we want to share with everyone. You're all like family to us and we can't think of a better way to let everyone know at once, so..." Mom looked over at Phil. They both smiled a mile wide. Phil wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed his hand on her stomach. Together the announced, "We're having a baby!"

Loud applause erupted throughout the house. I was so overwhelmed that tears sprang to my eyes. They had finally got what they were so desperately working for. I knew it was going to happen, but wasn't sure when. They looked so happy.

I walked up to them, Edward trailing behind me. I pulled Mom into a hug, first. "I'm so happy for you, both. I'm so excited. I can't wait to have a little baby around the house." I started clapping like a little three year old kid. "I get a baby brother or sister."

I glanced up, seeing Alice with a blank look on her face. She looked pale, almost. Then she noticed I was looking at her. I mouthed _'What's wrong'_, to her, but she shook her head at me and smiled. She was acting beyond strange, but that was Alice for you.

After a little more celebrating, it was almost midnight, so Edward and I decided to take a walk on the beach. It was a little cold out and the wind was blowing a little. I grabbed a blanket from the hall closet before we set out for our walk.

Alice called for me just as we were heading for the door. "Bella, wait! I have to talk to you about something."

I turned to look at her. "What's up? We're about to take a walk."

Edward started pulling on my hand. "Baby, come on. It's almost midnight and I wanna be alone."

Alice stopped halfway over to us. She must've noticed how anxious Edward was to get out of the house. She waved her hand at me. "Go on." She looked pensive. "It's not important, right now."

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you! Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!" I heard her yell back to me as Edward was impatiently pulling my arm to hurry up.

We found a quiet, secluded area behind some huge boulders and laid the blanket out on the sand. The rocks were blocking a lot of the wind from hitting us. The stars were out nice and bright and the moon was even brighter. We could hear music playing in the distance from other parties that were being held for the New Year.

I settled myself between Edwards legs. His arms were wrapped around me, pulling me extra close. He moved my hair from my shoulder and began kissing along my neck. I knew what he was initiating and I was more than willing. We hadn't had a minute to have privacy enough to get our sexual frustrations out of the way.

I decided to turn in his embrace, facing him. I pulled my dress up around my waist and straddled him. He didn't seem surprised at all by my actions.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, we began kissing. He rubbed his hands up and down my back until the settled on my ass. He squeezed and pulled me down on him where I could feel his already hard member. "I don't have any panties on," I whispered, which took him by surprise. "What, you thought I was gonna let you go home without putting out on New Years? I don't think so, buddy. It's been a week since we did anything and I'm more than frustrated right now."

"Oh, I'm not arguing; just surprised you've gone all night without panties." He pressed his lips to my collar bone, trailing kisses down between my cleavage. I leaned back some so I could reach down to undo the button and zipper on his pants. Then I reached up and pulled the front of my dress down so he'd have access to my tits, which he loved to lavish as I rode him. "You know me so well."

I grasped his length as I pushed up on my knees so I could lower myself down on him. As soon as he was completely sheathed inside of me, we both groaned from the best feeling there ever was.

I slowly began rocking against him, feeling myself become wetter with each movement I made. Edward had his hands on my hips, pushing and pulling me as we made love. He leaned his head down and took one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking lightly but it hurt. "Ouch. Shit, that stung."

We had stopped moving. "Sorry, baby. I barely sucked; are they both sore?"

I reached down and ran my fingertip over my nipples, noticing that _yes_, they were both sore, but figured it was because I was due for my period anytime. "Yeah, just be gentle."

"Hhmmm..." he hummed as he captured a nipple between his lips. I began moving over him again, grinding myself a little harder than before.

"Lay back," I told him. He did as I asked, leaving me to rest my hands on his chest, giving myself more leverage to move up and down.

"Fuck, that feels good." He grabbed my ass coercing me to go faster. I complied as he helped lift me up and push me down, as we moved faster together.

I leaned back, resting my hands on his shins, dropping my head back. I opened my eyes to the bright star lit sky. Our breathing was ragged and strained.

I flinched when I felt Edward push a finger into my clit. A jolt of electricity shot through me, causing me to raise back up and look down at him. "I don't know what you did, but do it again."

I could hear the faint humming noise that was always present now when we connected with each other. It wasn't as loud as the first few times it happened, but it was there.

Edward placed his thumb over my clit and pushed. The jolt happened again, causing my nipples to become harder, if that were even possible. I wasn't sure what it was, but it felt damn good. "Fuck, you're gonna make me cum." I started moving faster over him as he began to raise his hips to meet mine.

Quicker than I noticed, he had us switched around. I was on my back with my legs in the air. He held my ankles as he began to slam into me. "You rub your clit now, baby. I'm gonna cum in about five seconds and you better be ready."

He pounded into me a little harder, causing me to scoot up the blanket. He had to move up to catch me. Letting go of my legs, he dropped down, resting his hands on either side of my shoulders. I reached up, wrapping my arms around him the best that I could. My legs had a mind of their own and snaked around his hips.

"Now, Edward, now. I'm...I'm..." Two more hard thrusts and he stilled, groaning loudly as he spilled inside of me. I could feel the warmth from our mixed fluids as they began to seep out of me.

Edward plopped down on the blanket next to me, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "Fuck, I got sand in my eyes."

I leaned over him. "Let me see."

He moved his hands and I could see where the sand had gathered in the corner of his eyes. I tried to wipe, as much as I could, away with my fingertips. "Move your damn hands so I can see better." I grabbed my cell phone and illuminated the screen so I could get a better look. I wiped a few more times, getting the rest of the sand. "There, is that better?"

He rubbed over his eyes one more time. "Yeah, thanks. Fuckin' wind." He hurriedly grabbed me, pulling me down on top of him. "Happy New Year, baby. That was the best New Years present, ever."

"Happy New Year to you, too. And I wouldn't call that a present, it was more of a delayed duty."

"Duty?"

"Yup; it's your duty to keep me satisfied." I smiled mischievously at him.

He rolled us over, pushing a leg between mine. "Duty my ass." He pressed his lips to mine, pushing his tongue into my mouth. We kissed for a few more minutes before he pulled away. "It's almost one. We need to get back before anyone notices we disappeared."

It turned out to be one of the best New Years...ever.

* * *

Alice and I had spent most of Saturday together. We went to the mall, just the two of us. She kept giving me awkward glances as if there was something she wanted to tell me but didn't know how to say it. Whatever she had to tell me would finally eat at her enough that she'd spill. I left it alone and enjoyed our time together.

"Did you at least have a good trip? I know you were sick, but still, you got out some, didn't you?" We were sitting in the food court of the mall finishing our lunch.

I nodded. "Yeah, we walked around a bit. We ran into my friend Angela while we were waiting on my dad. It was good seeing her."

"That's cool. Was it weird being back there?" She was picking at an oatmeal raisin cookie as we chatted.

I shrugged my shoulders. "For the most part, yeah. A lot of memories came flooding back, but I didn't let them bother me. Angela about had a coronary when she saw Edward."

"She thought he was Anthony, huh?"

"Yeah, it was almost comical, but I could tell she could see the difference right away. I just hope we can stay in touch with each other." I stood to take my trash to the garbage bin. Alice followed with hers as well before we headed off to the other direction of the mall that we hadn't walked through.

"I would have loved to see her face." We walked for a couple of minutes before she spoke again. "So, are you still sick?" She must've noticed that I was a little green. My stomach was starting to roll from nausea. "You're looking a little pale right now."

I shrugged one shoulder. "Eh, I'm still a little weak from all the puking but all-in-all, I'm pretty much over it. I just think it was a stomach flu or something." I playfully poked her side. "Enough about me, how's things with you and Jasper? I feel like I've missed so much while I was gone for those few days."

A huge smile graced her face. You could tell she was head over heels in love with him. She gets stars in her eyes just thinking about him. "Oh, God, Bella. I love him so much. He's like every girls dream come true. Except yours, of course. He's so gentle with me. He even told me he loved me."

I grabbed her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you. He's your _one_, isn't he?" I released her, smiling at how happy she looked. "I can see how much you love him."

"We're gonna do it, tonight. I'm ready and I know he is. We've only touched each other, but I'm tired of waiting any longer." She sighed dreamily. "I'm just glad I'm on birth control because there's no way I'm gonna be knocked up, too. Too many pregnant women around here."

"Huh?" I looked at her with my brows knitted together. "My moms the only person I know that's pregnant." She raised her eyebrows back at me. "Who else is pregnant?"

"No one, I'm just saying." She looked guilty, but I didn't question it. "Ones enough, I guess." She skipped off, pulling me with her. "Anyway, you ready for school tomorrow? I just want this school year over with. I'm ready to be a Senior. Edward's lucky he graduates this year."

I nodded in agreement.

We chatted more and ended up buying three new outfits each. I didn't need anymore damn clothes, but Alice insisted that I get similar outfits to hers.

Around four, we finally left the mall and headed home. I dropped her off and went home. Edward was out doing something with his dad. My mom had requested that I be there for dinner. Dad and Jacob was joining us.

Monday morning rolled around. Edward had just walked into my room as I came out of the bathroom. Of course I just finished brushing my teeth from throwing up. I tried to cover it as much as I could, but he must have noticed. "Are you still throwing up? Bella, you need to get to the damn doctor."

"I know, I know. I'll ask mom to make me an appointment today."

He wrapped his arms around me. "You better. This isn't normal. There could be something seriously wrong."

"Stop, let's go. We're gonna be late for school."

We trudged downstairs, me grabbing my backpack as we headed out the door. I automatically handed my keys over to him, knowing he'd want to drive. He smiled, a huge toothy grin, at me. "You're such a dork, but I love you anyway."

"I love you, too. Let's get this day over with."

Once we got to school, there was buzz going around about a new student. Apparently he was a Senior and girls were gushing as they talked about him. I wasn't the least bit interested or even cared. I ignored all the talk as much as I could.

Just before lunch, I needed to make a pit stop at the bathroom. My bladder was very over active and I could barely hold it anymore.

Just as I was walking out of the stall and stepped to the sink to wash my hands, I heard to door open. I wasn't paying any attention. It wasn't unusual for other girls to come in and use the bathroom. It did have multiple stalls.

I turned the water on and waited a second for it to get warm. As I looked up into the mirror, a scream erupted from deep within me. "Hi, Isabella. Long time, no see."

I backed away from _him_. He looked so much like Edward, but I could see the difference between the two, now. Edward's hair had lightened up over the summer and it had more of a blonde tint to it. He also styled it differently. If that's what you call his mess of hair. Of course their eyes were different colors. Edward was also more broad shouldered and stood maybe a half inch taller. The other big difference, Edwards skin was golden brown from the numerous hours in the sun. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get the fuck away from me."

"Now, now, let's not be so harsh. Haven't you missed me?" _He_ stepped closer to me causing me to cringe into the corner of the wall. "I know I've missed you, terribly."

"Leave me alone or I'll scream." I wrapped my arms around myself trying to cower further away but it wasn't helping.

He smiled deviously at me. "I'm not going anywhere. I came for what's rightfully mine."

"And, what would that be?" I asked, nervously. My heart was racing and I could feel the bile begin to rise in my throat.

"You, of course." He stepped closer. "I left without saying goodbye, but I'm he..." He trialed off, narrowing his eyes at me. His nostrils began to flare and he began to breath deeply. "You didn't," he snarled.

I began shaking as he stepped closer, lowering his head down close to my stomach. "What're you doing?"

He jumped back a few steps, his fists were clamped together. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. Before I knew what was happening, he punched a huge hole in the wall. "You fucking did!" He roared. "You fucked someone else. You gave away what was mine! You promised!"

I shook my head. "I don't...I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can fuckin' hear it, Isabella! It's in there." He pointed to my stomach. "You let someone else plant their seed in you! How could you?!"

I frantically shook my head. "No..no...no, it's not like that." I had no clue what he was talking about. I just wanted him to leave me alone. "Please, just leave me alone. Please, go away."

"Get rid of it! I will not allow you to carry that thing. You're mine and I will take what's mine," he said through gritted teeth.

"No! You left! I'm not yours; I'm with someone else. I love him and I'm not going anywhere with you." I moved to go past him, but he grasped my arm where my shirt was covering my skin. "Let go of me, now."

I backed away from him and he willingly let my arm go. I couldn't figure out why he didn't get shocked like Rosalie did.

"I know all about your little zapper thing you have on you. I know all about your little witch friend, too. Don't you think I'm a lot smarter than that? Give me some credit, Isabella. I'm just disappointed that Rosalie couldn't follow through with my plan." He shook his head. "What a fuckin' loser she is. She could never do anything right. I don't even know what Emmett saw in her."

"She's with Emmett?" I asked, astonished. I wouldn't be surprised if his family was trying to help him with whatever plan he had.

He chuckled. "Yeah, he met her right after we left Forks, but I conned her away from him. All she needed was a little persuasion and she spread her legs for me quicker than that." He snapped his fingers in the air. "They're so pathetic. That whole family is."

"They're not with you?" I looked at him quizzically. For some reason I felt a little relieved to hear they weren't coerced into helping him.

"Nope." He popped the_ P_. "I wasn't going to let them screw up my plans that I have for you."

"Please, Anthony, just let me go. I have a new life here and I'm happier than I've ever been." I pleaded. "Please, I just...Please. I'm begging you."

He smiled at me. "Oh, you'll definitely be begging me soon enough." He took one step closer, causing me to flinch. "Now, GET. RID. OF. IT!"

"I have no clue what _it_ is! You keep saying that, but how am I suppose to know what_ it_ is?" He had me so confused that my head was spinning. I couldn't help but stumble to the sink and throw up. "Just leave!"

"_It, _Isabella, is the seed of that boy-toy of yours, growing inside your stomach. GET. RID. OF. IT!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was he telling me that I was pregnant with Edwards baby? There was no way. Anthony had to be spouting out lies. How could I believe him?

Just as I slumped to the floor, the bathroom door flew open and Alice came running in. Immediately, Anthony went flying into the wall after Alice raised her hand to him. Whatever the hell she did, she needed to do it a lot worse. "Now, get the fuck out! Leave her alone or I'll do a whole lot worse to you." Alice was fuming with anger, her hand raised, poised to put more power behind her next influence she put on him.

Anthony rushed from the bathroom, cursing and saying something about stupid fuckin' witches, leaving me and Alice alone. I had scooted over the the wall to prop myself up. I wrapped my arms around my knees and began to sob uncontrollably. I could barely breath because I was crying so hard.

Alice knelt down in front of me. "C'mon, Bella, we need to get you outta here."

"I can't. He'll come after me," I said between breaths.

"Yes, you can. C'mon, I'll drive you home. You need to calm down before you end up in the hospital like last time in Forks." She tried pulling at my arm. "Bella, please."

I snapped my eyes to hers. "Did you hear what he said to me?" She nodded. "Oh, God, Alice." I shook my head. "It can't be true."

"It is, honey. I tried to tell you, but..."

"What?!"

"Yes, Bella, you're pregnant."

* * *

**DUN...DUN...DUN. Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. ANTHONY! Who thinks he's gonna just walk away and not doing anything? AND, Some of you already guessed...YUP, she's preggers. Who wants more? I'm working on the next chapter.**

**Sorry, no rec's this week.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**~Stephanie~**


	25. Chapter 25

**Yup, it's Tuesday, Not Wednesday and I'm updating. Maybe because someone by the name of Southernpur-rica. Love ya girlie...always.**

**Thanks to Loopylou992 for pre-reading. Thanks for the suggestions and catching my Oopsies throughout. I'm suppose(d) to know better but she catches my stuff I miss. I owe you tons of Pints if I ever make that far over the ocean.**

**To anyone that got a small teaser, some things have changed. As usual but it's pretty close to what you got.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT!**

**ENJOY!**

**Updated: 3/19/2013**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 25**

**BPOV**

* * *

I was in a near catatonic state by the time Alice got me home. She had taken Jasper's keys to his truck, leaving him to get a ride with Edward. She had texted Edward, letting him know that I had gotten sick and was taking me home. She also told him not to worry, that she'd take care of me. My only worry was if Anthony approached him at school.

Alice also sent a text to my mom letting her know that I wasn't feeling well and was taking me to the house. I wasn't sure what was going to happen once I was there. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and forget about the world around me. It was crashing in on me and I didn't know what to do to stop it. How was I supposed to explain to my parents that I was pregnant? Edward also, for that matter. He'll probably freak when I tell him that Anthony was the one who brought it to my attention.

Edward came to my house immediately after leaving school. Jasper drove him straight to me so he could pick up his truck and Alice. She stayed with me until Edward got there. Her and I had agreed that I wouldn't say anything yet about the baby. She was going to the drug store to buy me a pregnancy test after Jasper took her home.

"Baby?" Edward said, pushing my hair away from my face. "What happened today?"

I was quiet. I didn't know how to tell him that Anthony was back and was at our school as a new student.

"Please, talk to me. You're scaring the shit out of me." He knelt down on the floor in front of me, looking at me square in the face. "Bella, you have to talk, baby. I can't help you if you don't tell me what to do."

I glanced up at him, seeing how hurt he looked. I couldn't take the fact that I put that worry on his face. "He's back," I whispered. "He's at our school, Edward. He's the new student all the girls were talking about."

"Who, baby?"

I whispered, "Anthony." Tears rolling out of my eyes. "He cornered me in the bathroom. I was so scared, Edward. He says he came for me."

"I won't let him get you. Over my dead body and we'll all do what we can to keep him from you. That's why Jake's here and my mom and sister will do whatever they can to help protect you. He won't get you." He promised over and over as he continuously caressed his hand down the side of my head, pushing my hair back as he did it. He kissed my temple numerous times as he soothed me.

"I can't lose you, Edward. I won't. I'm afraid he'll hurt you to get to me." I scooted over to the edge of the bed and wrapped my arms around his neck. He stumbled back a little, but caught himself on my bedside table. "Sorry, lay with me, please."

Edward climbed into the bed with me, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn't get close enough. I had my entire face buried in his chest. His smell was calming me, evening out my breathing.

"I promise, baby. We won't let him hurt you." He squeezed me tighter. "I love you more than life itself and you're not going anywhere. Neither am I."

"I love you, too, Edward. More than anything. Please, just always remember that. Nothing that anyone says or does, will ever change the way I feel about you." And it was true. No words or actions from anyone would ever change my feelings for him. My only concern now was, how am I supposed to tell him about our baby. I wanted to be sure that what Alice and Anthony, both, were saying, was true. I couldn't figure out how any of this happened. I was on birth control and I religiously took it every day. I hadn't missed one since I put that first pill in my mouth. Something wasn't right.

Edward stayed until my mom got home. Telling her that Anthony was a student at our school, was like lightening striking an electrical transformer. She was absolutely livid and was trying to come up with ways to get him kicked out of the school, but there wasn't anything she could do. He hadn't directly put me in harms way. "That boy has another thing coming if he thinks he'll get away with tormenting you. He'll be expelled so fast, his head would spin."

"I know Mom. Is Dad coming over?"

"Yes, as soon as he's done with some paperwork. I didn't tell him what's going on, though. I just told him that we needed his undivided attention when he gets here," she explained, handing me a glass of water and two Tylenol. "Here, this should help with your headache."

"Thank you," I whispered as I popped the pills in my mouth and took a large gulp of water to wash them down. "Is Jake coming, too?"

She shook her, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I think your Dad has some things for him to do around the house. It was something like that. Who knows...I'm surprised Charlie lets him stay out late on school nights sometimes."

I knew that Jake was going out at night to walk the neighborhood. He would phase and patrol the area to make sure there wasn't anything suspicious going on. He had to make sure he stayed in the shadows of the houses so no one would see him and freak out. Jake wasn't the size of any ordinary dog. He was practically the size of a huge bear. Anyone who saw him, would seriously freak and call the Marines for back up.

"Well, I'm gonna go get dinner started. You think you could eat?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually really hungry. I was just sick because I was scared to death of Anthony. That's enough to make anyone puke."

"I hear ya. Okay, I'll be down in the kitchen. I'll send your Dad up once he gets here." She left the room, causing me to sigh in relief because honestly, my mom had some sixth sense when it came to me. It was like she could predict when I was about to get a zit.

About thirty minutes later, there was a knock at my door. "Come in," I called out. My Dad peeked his head through the door. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, baby girl. Your Mom said you needed to talk to me about something." He walked over to my bed and sat down. "You okay? You look like someone ran over your cat."

I chuckled at him. "I'm okay. Something did happen at school today, though." I took a deep breath to prepare my words. "Anthony's here. He's a student at the school."

"What the fuck? You've got to be fuckin' kidding me? Did he hurt you?" His nostrils were flared from anger. "I swear to God if that...thing, so much as laid a hand on you..."

I shook my head at him. "He didn't hurt me. Scared the shit out of me, but he did threaten me, though."

"What'd he say?"

"He told me that he came for me and he'd take what was his." I felt tears roll down my cheeks. "Dad, what if he hurts Edward? Or anybody else for that matter? It'd be all my fault..."

"Now you stop right there," he growled. "None of this is your fault. We'll figure something out. Jake does his patrolling at night and he'll be more alert now that we know that Anthony's here. We'll just leave him alone...for now. If he does anything to warrant his decapitation, then so be it." He chuckled. "I just have a feeling that'll be happening sooner than we think."

I shook my head. "This is all just crap, Dad. Why can't he just leave me alone. I don't want him anymore; I love Edward."

I wasn't sure if he knew anything about how Vampires could find anyone that they've fed from. I also wasn't about to give up that bit of information. If he knew, he didn't let on or ask any questions. God forbid, if he did. I'd turn into a stuttering fool.

"Where's Edward, anyway?" Dad stood from the bed and walked over to look out the window. "That boys usually here until after the sun goes down."

"He was here until Mom got home. We have an English Lit project due and he was going home to get his part done. It's due next Monday, but since we work so well together, we decided to go ahead and get it done and out of the way." I smiled up at my dad when he turned to look at me. He had a smile on his face that told me he agreed with what I just said.

He sat down next to me and took my hand. "You two are good together no matter what you do. I really do like Edward. He's a good kid and he treats you right. That don't mean I won't kick his ass if he hurts you."

I rolled my eyes, smiling at him. "He won't hurt me, Dad. Yeah, he irritates the piss outta me sometimes, but I'm sure I do the same to him, too."

"Well, if you're anything like your mother..." He trailed off, smiling at me, chuckling. I was sure he was thinking of some past situations with my Mom.

I moved up, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Thanks, Dad, for being here. I'm glad I can talk to you about stuff. There's just things I can't talk to Mom about, and you know that, so thank you."

"No need to thank me, baby girl. I just hope you know that you can come talk to me about anything, regardless of what it is. I won't judge you because knowing me, I've probably done it." He kissed the side of my head. "C'mon, I'm sure your Mom has dinner ready and I'm pretty hungry right now. I'm gonna call Jake and have him come over. I'll fill him in on everything once we get home." We stood from the bed. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we started walking toward the door.

When we got downstairs, Mom was just setting the table for dinner. Phil was helping her, also. I decided to help out by getting glasses for the iced tea that Phil just sat on the table.

"Hey, Ren, I'm gonna go call Jake and have him come over here for dinner, if that's okay."

"That's fine. He's part of the family, too." She smiled up at my Dad. "Phil, honey, this is ready." She handed him the dish to be placed on the table. "Charlie, can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Sure," he agreed and they left the kitchen.

Phil looked at me skeptically. "Everything okay, with you, kiddo?"

"I'll be okay. I'm sure Mom told you what happened today." He nodded. "I just hope he stays away from me, but for some reason, I'm sure I haven't seen the last of him, yet."

Phil stepped over, wrapping his arms around me. "We're here for you, honey. We'll do whatever we can to protect you from that asshole." He kissed my temple and released me from his hug.

"Thanks, Phil."

A few minutes later, Mom and Dad came walking back in and we tucked into our dinner. My stomach had calmed down a lot and I hoped I could keep my food down. Jake showed up just as we finished dishing out our own food.

About eight o'clock, Alice called and told me she was on her way. She had gone to the drug store to get the pregnancy test. I just told my Mom she was coming over to bring back a shirt she had borrowed over the weekend.

She ushered me up to my room and straight into the bathroom. "The test I got says you can take it anytime of the day, then I got another one that you can take in the morning."

I nodded nervously at her. "Just give me the damn test." I looked at the box and read that it was digital and had the time of conception on it, also.

I pushed Alice out of the bathroom. My heart was racing like a horse in the Kentucky Derby. I was lucky I had to pee or I would've been sitting there all night, on the toilet.

After pissing on the stick, I walked out of the bathroom and went straight for my bed. "It said three to five minutes." Alice picked up her phone and set a timer on it. "I don't know if I can look at it. I wish you would've said something sooner to me. I've been so caught up in Christmas and finals at school that I didn't even notice I missed my period."

Alice sat down next to me. "I'm really sorry. I tried telling you after your Mom announced her pregnancy. I had the vision right after she said she was pregnant and now that I think about it, your the one I saw in my visions months ago that was pregnant with your mom."

"God, Alice, what the hell's gonna happen to me? My parents are gonna kill me and Edward; I'm only seventeen." Tears began to roll down my cheeks. "How the hell is Edward gonna react to this?"

"Honey, I know you're scared, right now, but I do know that everything will be fine. I've seen it. I know you don't wanna know stuff like that, but this I can assure you that it will all be fine. I know you carry the baby, but after that, I'm not sure." She patted my hand and glanced down at her phone. "One minute."

I couldn't even think straight. I wanted to ask her how her night with Jasper went, but at the moment, I was being selfish. "I'm sorry, Alice, I was gonna ask you..." Then the timer interrupted me. "Shit."

"Do you want me to look?" She smiled at me. It didn't reach her eyes like it normally did. I was sure she felt bad about not telling me sooner about her vision.

I sighed heavily. "No, I'll go look." I got up from the bed and trudged my way into the bathroom. The test was like a huge neon sign flashing at me from the counter.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, counted to ten then opened them. **_"Positive. 5+ weeks."_**

I stood for a few minutes to try and gather my nerves. Alice said it was going to be okay. That was all I had to go on, right now, but I felt like everything was about to fall apart. I didn't know how to tell Edward, let alone, my parents. I was letting them down by letting this happen. I was suddenly that cliched teenage pregnancy program that they show on TV for after school specials. Or better yet, one of those sappy movies on the _Lifetime Movie Network._

I heard a soft knock at the bathroom door. "Bella?" It was Alice, of course. She already knew, but facing her was an embarrassment of some sort. I feel like I've let her down, also, in some way. I've let everyone down and it's all my fault.

"Just give me a minute. Please, Alice." I sat back down on the lid of the toilet and placed my head in my hands, leaning my elbows on knees. I kept seeing angry faces flash before my eyes. I kept hearing berating words flow through my mind about how bad I screwed up my life. I didn't want to think that way, though. Alice said things would be okay. I just keep reminding myself...I had to. Alice said things would be okay.

I gathered my thoughts and stood from the toilet. I picked up the test and glanced at it - _5+ weeks. _I started counting back and it only brought one date to mind – the day after Thanksgiving. That would actually put me at about seven weeks pregnant. Don't they count back two weeks to determine a due date? _God, I'm pathetic._

Alice was sitting at the end of my bed when I finally walked out. She had a small, sad smile on her face when I looked up at her. I had the test in my hand. Reaching out, I handed it to her. "It's true and Anthony heard it. He heard it inside me."

Alice took the test from my hand and looked down at it. She let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Vampires do have impeccable hearing." She stepped in front of me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry, though, Bella. I should've been the first to tell you."

"It's okay." She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "I did tell you not to tell me any of your visions. And it's my fault that I didn't talk to you on New Years like you wanted." Then I pulled back, gasping. "Wait a minute, why didn't you tell me when we were at the mall on Saturday? You could've told me then, but you didn't."

She stepped back from me and sat on the bed. "Again, I'm sorry. Saturday just got away with me. I was enjoying our time together because we never get to see each other that much anymore."

"But you said something about _All these pregnant women. _You had to have been thinking about it then. You could have said something." I shook my head. I was upset and I wanted to be so completely angry with her, but the look on her face made me retreat from screaming at her.

"Please, Bella? I'm sorry; I really am. I didn't do it on purpose. Please believe me. I can't live with myself if you can't forgive me for not telling you right away." I saw tears roll down her cheeks before she wiped them away with the back of her hand. "I promise to come toyou right away, from now on, if something this serious happens again. I just...I can't lose you as a best-friend."

Her pleading words tore at my heart and I found myself pulling her from the bed and wrapping my arms around her. "Oh, God, Alice, no. You won't ever lose me as a best-friend. Ever, okay? It's just, my feelings are hurt because you didn't come to me right away, and now, I have to think pretty quick about how I'm supposed to tell Edward and my parents."

We sat down on the bed. "I'll help you anyway I can." Then she looked guilty as sin. "I have something else I need to tell you, though."

"Oh, Alice, no. What else?"

She glanced up at me through her eyelashes. "Um...I sorta already told my Mom earlier. I was telling her what happened at school and it just sorta slipped out. I don't know why, but she kept blaming herself."

"Dammit. Please tell me she won't say anything?" God, I couldn't imagine how things would go if my parents or Edward learned that Esme was one of the first to know. I already have a feeling that Edward's going to have a conniption fit.

She shook her head. "She won't. She said it was your place to tell anyone. My Dad doesn't even know, yet. She said she was contemplating on telling him to soften the blow, some."

"God, she must think I'm a slut." I shook my head. "I hope she doesn't think I did this on purpose to trap Edward."

Her head shook frantically. "No, no, no. She would never think something like that. She loves you like you were her own daughter. My mom's not the type of person to pass judgment."

"Alice, she has every right to pass judgment on me. I let her son knock me up."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Excuse me, but doesn't it take two to tango, as they say? I'm sure Edward was more than willing to stick his..." She waved her hand. "In you. So, no, you're both at fault here, okay. And like I told you before, it'll all be okay. That part I know is true."

That made me feel a little better. Now it was just the telling part that I had to get over with. I'd give myself until Friday to come up with a way to tell Edward.

Alice left a few minutes later. It was already past nine o'clock and she still had some homework that needed to be done. I quickly did the same before I called Edward. Our conversation didn't last very long because I was exhausted from the day I had. He understood, told me he loved me and that he'd see me the next morning.

The next day at school, I kept getting knots in my stomach. I was afraid Anthony would say something in front of Edward or to him. Then I started hearing talk of how much Edward and Anthony resembled each other. How we were going to bypass this situation, was confusion to me.

Apparently, Anthony already answered that question for us. He had told people that him and Edward were long lost cousins, of the sort. Of course, everyone believed him. He could still compel other people to believe anything he told them.

He also glared at me as Edward and I walked passed him in the hallway. I could hear him whispering things to the girls that surrounded him. They would giggle like the school girls that they were and gush over every word that he spewed from his mouth. It was disgusting, really.

The rest of the week went pretty much the same. At one point in time, a girl that I didn't know, approached me and asked what it was like going out with two guys that looked so much alike. She also asked if Edward was my rebound guy. That pissed me off. I wanted so badly to knock Anthony's teeth down his throat, but that would only leave me with a broken hand.

Friday rolled around and I knew I needed to tell Edward. It was eating at me like a carnivore over red meat. I almost told him on Wednesday when we were fooling around and he said something about how my tits felt heavier. I needed to get it done and over with, so Esme took it upon herself and called me on Thursday evening, inviting me over for dinner on Saturday. She helped me plan out a way to tell him. She was going to suggest that he and I go on a picnic on the beach, for lunch. That only meant I needed to be at his house by eleven on Saturday morning.

My heart was beating out of my chest when I stepped up on the front porch of his house. With a forced hand, I pressed the button for the doorbell. Esme greeted me with a tight hug. "We'll talk when you two get back from your picnic, okay? It'll be all right, honey. I promise."

I couldn't figure out how Esme was being so understanding with all this. She knew and she wasn't berating me, calling me a whore or telling me I was a gold digger. Which would've been funny considering, I didn't need money, whatsoever.

Edward was in the kitchen packing up a picnic basket when I came in. "Hey, baby. Mom suggested we have a picnic because it's actually a nice day out. That okay with you?"

I nodded, grabbing the two sandwiches that were stacked next to the bowl of grapes, handing them to him. "That's a great idea."

Esme kept looking at me skeptically. She was probably wondering whether or not I was going to tell him. I didn't have any choice, though. He had to be told and it had to be in the next hour.

Edward handed a large, folded up blanket to me before he grabbed the basket of food. We both kissed Esme's cheek before walking out the back door towards the beach. We didn't go too far from the house, but we were far enough that we couldn't be heard talking. The sound of the waves from the ocean would drown out our conversation anyway.

I spread out the blanket and sat close to the middle. Edward placed the basket close to the top edge of it, but close enough that we could reach inside for our food. We sat for a few minutes, groping each other before we decided to eat. My stomach was churning, so I had to force my food down. I kept taking deep breaths to try and calm my nerves.

"Something's eating at you. Spit it out, already." I was stunned silent. I gaped at him for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You don't seem to realize how well I do know you, Bella. I know something's bothering you."

I placed my plate next to the basket and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him. He was staring at me, waiting for me to say something. I kept trying to force the words out but they were stuck in my throat.

"I'm getting the impression that I'm not gonna be very happy about this conversation because you would've already said something by now." He moved to sit directly in front of me with his hands wrapped around the calves of my legs. "Whatever it is, we'll work through it, okay. It can't be that bad."

I had to do it now and get it over with. _1...2...3..._ "I'm pregnant."

His eyes grew wide as saucers as he sat straight up. "Wha...wha...what? Pregnant?"

I nodded, tears starting to flow down my face. I knew it would've been a shock to him, so his reaction right now, didn't surprise me at all. "What about your birth control? I thought you took that like clock work everyday."

"I do...I did. I don't know how, but it happened. I'm sorry." So far, he didn't seem upset at all.

"When did you find out?"

"Monday night," I whispered. "Alice brought me a pregnancy test."

"What?! You've known since fuckin' Monday and I'm just now finding out? And my sister fuckin' knows before me? What the fuck, Bella?" He stood up from the blanket, walking away from me. He paced back and forth cursing under his breath.

The longest five minutes of my life came and went. It felt longer than waiting for that damned test to tell me what I already knew. I couldn't decipher, by the look on his face, what he was thinking. He had stopped pacing and was now looking out over the ocean. He didn't have a sad nor happy look; just blank.

I couldn't handle the silence anymore. "Your mom knows, too." I got up and walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "I'm sorry. I don't know how all this happened."

He released a stuttering breath, closing his eyes. He reached down and pulled my arms from around him. "You need to move, please."

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach and the tears were back on, full force.

I reluctantly, moved away from him and went to sit back on the blanket on the far edge. He was quiet, still looking out over the ocean but still close enough to hear him if he talked.

After a few minutes, he sat back down on the blanket, flopping back with his arm over his eyes. "Why, Bella?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"I told you. I don't know how it happened. I can't explain it. I'm sorry; I wish I knew the answer," I replied, my crying turning into full blown sobs.

He sat up abruptly. "Not that, Bella," he said in a raised voice. "Why the fuck..." he yelled, glancing around before leaning toward me, lowering his voice. "Why the fuck does my sister and mother know before me? Huh? Don't you think I should've known first?"

"I'm sorry." I let out a loud sob, snot dripping from my nose. "Alice was there; I couldn't help it. I didn't know until Anthony told me."

He jerked his head up, glaring at me. "What the fuck?!" He yelled. "How did that motherfucker know?"

His unbelieving tone, had me wondering if he thought I was lying to him. "He said he could hear it; that you planted your seed inside of me," I said, angrily. "Alice was right there when he told me to get rid of it or he would."

Edwards face grew pale. "Do you want to? Get rid of it, I mean?"

"God, no, Edward, but if that's what you want, then I understand. We're too young and I don't wanna hold you back from anything. I can't, but I don't wanna lose you." My crying grew harder, once again and it was getting to the point where I couldn't catch my breath.

"How does my mom know?" He asked, nearly whispering. He wasn't looking at me anymore; only looking out at the ocean, again.

I grabbed a napkin and wiped my face before answering. "Alice told her. It slipped out when she was telling her about Anthony cornering me in the bathroom at school. She's not mad. She kept telling me it was all her fault."

"How the hell is it her fault? She wasn't there coaching us on the best way for me to knock you up." Angry emotions started gracing his beautiful face. "It's my fault, if it's anyone's."

"No it's not. We both could have been more cautious; used condoms or not done it at all."

He growled and punched down into the blanket covered sand. "You should have told me that day! Instead, you wait a week to tell me. A fuckin' week, Bella! Did you even think you were pregnant before? Didn't you notice when you missed your damn period?"

"I'm sorry; I wanted to be sure. I didn't believe what Anthony said, but then Alice said that she tried to tell me on New Years night, but we kept getting interrupted. Monday night, she came over and brought a test and I took it. It said I was five plus weeks pregnant. I did the math and I'm pretty sure I got pregnant the day after Thanksgiving. That makes me a couple of weeks ahead of my mom."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked, glancing over at me.

"I'll show you the test. There's a conception indicator on the test. It said, Positive, or Pregnant, five plus weeks, on it. So that means Mom must've conceived the week or so after me, "I explained, hoping he didn't think I was lying.

"We," he said quietly. "We conceived."

My heart did one huge thud against my chest at those two words. I wiped my face again. My sobbing quieted, but the tears were still falling.

"How can I make this right? How can I make you not hate me, right now?" I would do anything for him.

A shocked look crossed his face; he jumped at me, pushing me back on the blanket, hovering over me. "Don't you dare say shit like that. I don't hate you. I never will. I love you more than life itself. And there's nothing to make right." He reached up and wiped my tears away. "I won't lie and say I'm not scared because I am. If you couldn't tell, I was quite shocked when you said you were pregnant and the only thing I'm upset about is you not telling me right away. Besides you, I should've been the first to know. My feelings are hurt and I'm pissed off because that fucker knows. His fucked up mutant hearing and all. That shit just irks the hell outta me."

As soon as I opened my mouth to apologize again, he pressed his lips to mine. "Don't say it," he warned. "Just promise me that you won't keep shit from me again. That's all I ask."

"I promise," I declared, wrapping my arms around him. "And, I'm sorry."

"Stop with the apologies. I know you're sorry and to answer your question, no, I don't want you to get rid of our baby. Yes, we're young, but we'll work it out, okay," he said then kissed me again. Then he grimaced. "Your parents are gonna kill me."

"Us," I corrected him. "They're gonna kill both of us."

* * *

**Well, well, well...what's the word? Do you think Edward was too pissed or not pissed enough with her? How do you thi****nk her parent****s are gonna react?**

**Okay just got a few rec's for ya.**

* * *

**Curve Ball by staceleo (this is so damn funny!)**

**Push by xXKiwiCullenXx**

**Glass by momma2fan**

**Welcome to Evening Shade by samekraemer**

**Shattered Hearts by Greye Granger**

* * *

**Check them out. They're all worth the read.**

**Until next week. Leave me some love. **

**~Stephanie~**


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry for the delay. My laptop hates me...well, sometimes.**

**To Loopylou992, you're suggestions are PERFECTION. THANK YOU!**

**To those of you who like a country song now and then. I'd like to thank Jason Aldean for the beautiful words he puts to music. No copyright infringment intended.**

**I have a split POV for ya. Hope you like it. Next chapter is all EPOV.**

**Song for EPOV - Staring at the Sun by Jason Aldean**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT! NOT BETA'd ... all mistakes are mine.**

**ENJOY!**

**Updated: 3/31/2013**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 26**

**BPOV**

* * *

We sat up, with me between his legs. He wrapped his arms around me, placing his hand on my stomach. "We'll get through this. You won't be going through this alone."

"Thank you. I feel like I'm screwing up your whole life, though. Your baseball career and anything beyond that." I placed my hands over his, leaning my head back against his shoulder. "Why do I feel like the whole world is attacking me?"

"It's not, baby. And you're not screwing up my life. I've been thinking about quitting baseball anyway. It's getting boring for me and I honestly don't think that's what I wanna do for the rest of my life." He placed a kiss on my temple. "I have bigger and better things to look forward to now."

I thought back to the conversation we had a while back about him getting his business degree if his baseball career didn't pan out the way he wanted. It still felt like I was responsible for forcing him into making a decision so abruptly.

"I guess we better head back. I'm sure my Mom's looking out here, wondering what's going on." I moved so he could stand up. He reached down, pulling me with him. "Let's go talk to my Mom. Maybe she could give us some advice since she's the only parent who knows."

"You don't think she told your Dad?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "She could've, but we won't know until we go talk to her." He grabbed the picnic basket while I started folding up the blanket. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

It seemed like it took forever for us to make the short walk back to the house. I was a little more at ease now that Edward knew. He seemed okay with the baby and now the hard part of telling my parents, awaited us.

I knew my parents were going to be highly upset. What parents wouldn't be mad? I was more afraid of the outcome of the whole situation.

Our talk with Esme was very reassuring and she explained why she felt it was all her fault.

Apparently, when she put that pregnancy spell on my Mom, she didn't think about me standing next to her when she did it, which in return, led to me getting pregnant the very next day. She apologized profusely, over and over, promising she'd be there for us when we told my parents. Carlisle did know and was highly upset at first when she told him, but as soon as she explained her part in it, he calmed down slightly and agreed to help us out the best he could.

The next day, Esme invited my Mom, Dad and Phil over to their house for dinner. We wanted to share the news while we were all together.

Esme and Carlisle, offered me a place to stay if things were to go down hill. I thanked them and thanked God that they loved me enough to be there for me, Edward and our unborn child. I was also thanking God that they weren't chiding me, blaming me for trapping Edward. I would've never thought to do something like that.

When I left my house to go to Edward's on Saturday morning, I noticed a car parked at the corner when I pulled up at the stop sign. I squinted my eyes to try and see who it was; it was Anthony and he must've been watching my house. I squealed my tires as I pushed on my gas pedal. I tried to go as fast as I could, without drawing attention or endangering myself or my precious cargo. He followed me, staying pretty close to the back of my car.

I don't normally use my phone as I'm driving, but I wanted to make sure Edward knew I was on my way and that Anthony was following me. "Hey, baby. You on your way."

"Yeah, but Anthony's following me. Can you make sure you're outside when I get there?"

"Definitely. Be careful," he sighed, heavily. "I love you," he said before I told him I loved him, too and ended the call.

Anthony was being relentless with pursuing me. It wasn't going to work, though. He wasn't gaining anything by being a complete idiot. All it did was make me hate him even more.

When I, finally, pulled into Edward's driveway, he was standing outside waiting for me. He was at my door as soon as I put the car in park. I looked in my rear-view mirror to see if Anthony was going to stop, but he peeled out, leaving gray smoke from his tires, lingering behind his car as he sped away. I sighed in relief knowing that he was just taunting me and not trying to physically harm me, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try another time.

Edward reached his hand inside the car. "C'mon, baby."

"I need to call my dad and let him know." After I got off the phone with my Dad, we made our way inside the house. We were watching some movies and lounging around until it was time for dinner.

When my parents arrived, they were all smiles and I felt like it would be my fault that their smiles were going to disappear.

I was nervous the whole day. Esme kept reassuring me that everything would work out. She promised that there would be _no magic_ involved to ensure the outcome.

Dinner was pleasant. Again, I forced my food down, trying to keep my panicking nerves at bay. I had a feeling Mom was getting the vibe that something was going on. She kept giving me a knowing look.

When dinner was finished, Esme requested that everyone stay at the table. Edward and I were huddled together with a huge target on our chests.

Esme took her seat back at the table after clearing it, leaving the dishes until after our talk. She looked up at me and Edward then over at my parents. "Thanks for coming to dinner, but there was actually an ulterior motive behind it." She motioned her hands toward us. " But, Edward and Bella have something to tell us."

"What's goin' on?" My Dad questioned, his stare darting between all of us.

Edward sat up in his chair, squaring his shoulders. "Well, sir," he sighed, squeezing my hand. "Bella's pregnant."

"What?!" Mom screeched, nearly jumping from her seat. Phil caught her by the shoulders and made her sit back down.

Dad slammed his fist down on the table. "NO! This better be a Goddamned joke!" His eyes were full of fury.

"It's not," I sobbed. "I'm sorry." I bowed my head, tucking it behind Edwards shoulder.

"Isabella Marie Swan, how could you? You were put on birth control, for Christ-sakes! How could you let this happen?" Mom was definitely pissed, but no where near as livid as Dad.

Dad stood up from the table. "Excuse me?! Birth control? Since when was she put on birth control?" He paced the length of the room at the end of the table, waiting for my Mom to answer him. "Obviously it didn't fuckin' work! My seventeen year-old daughter is not having a baby!"

"Charlie, that's irrelevant now..." My Mom started to answer his questions, but I was near combustion with anger toward his words.

"Excuse me?!" I questioned him angrily. "What do you suggest I do then, Dad?"

"Bella, you're seventeen. What about college? Are you gonna throw that away to become a mother?" My Dad was rubbing his temples like he was warding off a headache.

Mom shook her head. "I can't believe you let this happen."

"It's not like we meant for it to happen. It was an accident and I can still go to college. You did and so did Dad." I shook my head, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "So it's okay for you both to be hypocrites, right now, because if I remember correctly, you weren't much older than me if not the same age, when Mom got pregnant with me. If you can do it, so can we."

Dad grumbled. "Do as we say, not as we do. I thought we raised you better than this."

"Dad, it's not the end of the world," I stressed. "I understand you're both upset and I'm sorry for that, but Edward and I have decided to keep the baby." Edward squeezed my hand, agreeing with me.

"If you won't abort it, then you'll put it up for adoption," Dad said angrily, folding his arms across his chest to signify that he was calling the shots.

It was my turn to smack the table. "We will not! You can't make us! This is our decision and we're keeping our baby whether you like it or not!"

"Bella, I'm disappointed with the both of you, right now." Mom glanced up at Esme and Carlisle. "What do you two have to say about this?" Mom seemed so sad, but she was keeping her anger in check, so far, during this conversation.

"We're not happy because they're so young, but we've decided to support them on whatever decision they make," Carlisle said, looking over at Esme. "Whatever they need, we'll help them."

Esme spoke up next. "Charlie, Renee, this is our grandchild, whether it be now or in the future. That's why we decided to support them. They're scared and need our support and guidance." Esme was always the calm talker. She was trying her hardest to reason with them. I really wasn't so sure that, this time, it would work for anyone's benefit.

"Fine, if they won't put it up for adoption or abort it, Edward has to marry her. I refuse to allow my daughter to be an un-wed mother. It's bad enough she's a teenager, for fuck-sakes." This bomb that my Dad just dropped on us, was even bigger than the whole pregnancy.

"Now, you hold on right there, Charles Jonathon Swan , you can't make Edward marry her. What if they don't wanna get married? You can't make that decision for them!" I was surprised Mom took that scolding tone with him. He looked at her like her head was spinning.

Before my Dad could respond to what my Mom said, Edward spoke up. "I'll marry her. Whatever Charlie wants. I wanted to marry her once she graduated anyway. Whats a year sooner?" Edward looked between my parents as he spoke. He had told me that he wanted to marry me someday, but I didn't realize it would've been right after high school.

Mom started sobbing uncontrollably and Phil pulled her into a hug to soothe her.

"Is this what you want, Bella?" Phil asked.

"I guess I do. Edward's right; it's just sooner rather than later," I replied, squeezing Edwards hand. He smiled down at me assuringly.

Esme spoke up next. "You sure this is what you both want? There's no turning back once you've made that commitment. Having a baby is a lot of work and then marriage? You're both teenagers, but know that you do have our support, regardless."

Edward and I both nodded. "They won't wait, then," Dad said. "I am, by far from happy about this, but you're right Esme, that's our grandchild and I don't want it born a bastard."

"Charles!" Mom yelled.

"Look, Renee, I'm giving them the same options your father gave me when you got pregnant with Bella. It'll take some time for us to get used to this, but we need to do this for them," he said, waving his hand in the air. I, all of a sudden, became confused.

"So now you're the negotiator and not the punisher?" Mom asked. "Not five minutes ago, you were giving them options of abortion then adoption after that."

Dad sighed. "Like I said, Renee, they were the same options your dad gave us and I refuse to lose my daughters trust over this." He shook his head. "I'm her father..." He smacked his hands together like he was karate chopping it. "...and I'm supposed to protect her. I know she loves him and vice versa. Edward would take a bullet for her."

"They can live here in the pool house," Carlisle started to say. "It's set up as an apartment already and has two bedrooms," Carlisle suggested, looking over at Esme for approval.

"Edward can work with me part time and set all that money aside. We can help with the amenities, but any extra stuff that isn't a necessity, they'll have to provide for themselves." Carlisle continued to lay out all the ground rules and stipulations. "When Bella has the baby, she can be set up with a satellite program through the school to do homeschooling and graduate when she's supposed to."

"All this sounds reasonable; I only wish it weren't happening," Mom said, sighing and laying her head on Phil's shoulder.

"I could get a job, too," I suggested.

"You will not!" Dad demanded, then retreated to calmness. "Not until we know Anthony is long gone; dead or moved away...I don't care which of those options he chooses."

"What's goin' on with that situation, Charlie?" Phil asked, completely changing the subject. I sighed in relief, silently thanking Phil.

Dad shook his head. "There's not much I can do, right now. He hasn't tried to harm her and he pretty much leaves her alone, except earlier today."

Mom's head popped up. "What happened today?"

"He was parked at the corner down the street from the house and followed me over here," I explained, glad that there was a change of topic, but it was still based on me.

Moms' eyes grew wide. "Did he say anything to you?"

"No, he kept going once I parked in the driveway," I replied.

"He has to be up to something." Phil shook his head. "Biding his time; he has to be, but for what?" I know it was only a rhetorical question, but I knew Phil was just as concerned as everyone else.

Dad sat back down at the table, his calm demeanor present. "Can we all continue to agree that she can't be left alone, whatsoever? If we all go out to eat, someone needs to go with her to the restroom, if she needs to go. And Bella, at school, try and keep your bathroom breaks between classes and make sure someone's always with you. I'll pull you outta that school if I have to and you can start homeschooling as soon as possible."

"I'd like to try and stay in school for right now. At least until I start showing. I really like the school and my friends I have there," I said, hating the idea of going all day without seeing Edward. I didn't have many friends, but the few I did have, I really liked them.

Dad nodded. "Okay, we'll give it a shot. Now, after you two are married, Bella, you'll be automatically emancipated as an adult as soon as you two say your I dos'. All I'm asking is, make your decisions wisely. I do understand that accidents happen. I know better than anyone about accidents and please don't hesitate to ask any of us for help. You two will be raising this baby. There won't be any chances for you two to pawn that baby off on any of us unless it's a necessity. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Edward and I both answered. "Crystal."

"Good; do you and Carlisle agree, Esme?" My Dad asked, looking between the two of them.

Carlisle and Esme looked at each other. Carlisle nodded and Esme answered. "Yes."

"As far as medical insurance, Bella's covered through mine, but I'm not sure about once they get married. She may need to get on state assistance, but I'll find out. Carlisle, do you mind checking this out with your insurance also? Having a baby isn't cheap, so we'll do the best we can so there won't be too much out of pocket cost." Dad was on a roll with putting all the stipulations on the table. Edward and I just sat back and listened to them plan out our lives.

Carlisle nodded, agreeing with my Dad. "I'll call first thing Monday morning and get the info." He looked over at Edward. "I'll also get it all set up for you to start work next week. You can work thirty hours a week, but only around practice. You're not quitting the team. There have been scouts scoping you out at games."

Edward shook his head. "I'm not gonna pursue a baseball career anymore, Dad. I've decided to get my business degree and maybe take law. I don't wanna take the chance of being away from Bella and the baby. The University here is perfect for what I want to major in. We'll see, but I know now that a career in baseball isn't what I want."

Carlisle sighed. I wasn't sure if he was pissed or not. His face was unreadable.

"As long as you're sure, son. That's another big decision. You'll have to start making all these choices with Bella, as your wife, as soon as you're married. All we can do, as parents, is give you advice. You two made the decision to have sex together, so now, it's all up to you two," Esme said. I knew only to make sure her concerns were stated.

Mom piped in after listening quietly. "If Esme could help me..." She sighed, seeming defeated. "...we'll get the wedding set up for two weeks from now, on a Saturday. You can invite who you want, but don't go overboard. I think just close personal friends and family should be enough."

Esme nodded in agreement. "If you'll get all the legal documentation signed and notorized, we can go with them to acquire a marriage license. I can get the minister set up and a small reception planned."

"Bella, you're on punishment until Saturday after next," Dad said.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "What good is that gonna do me? I'm already pregnant, Dad."

"Don't remind me," he said. "Plus, I'm only joking, but you will take these next two weeks to get your room packed up and ready to move. Another thing, I think one of you need to sell your car. You only use one car right now, as it is. You can put that money into a shared checking account and use it wisely until Bella gets her first inheritance installment when she turns eighteen. You'll get the rest when you turn twenty-five." I wondered how many more demands and stipulations were going to be made. It was like we weren't making our own decisions about anything, right now.

"I'll sell my truck," Edward said, glancing down at me. "Bella's car has a bigger back seat and can fit a car seat better." I looked at him wide eyed. "What? I like your car better than my truck and your Dad's right, we mostly use your car anyway."

"You love your truck, though." I pouted up at him, giving him puppy dog eyes. "What about all your baseball stuff? It won't all fit in my car." I knew he said he was quitting baseball, but I was playing stupid at the moment. I didn't want him to sell his truck and I definitely didn't want to sell my car.

Edward quirked one eyebrow at me. "Bella, have you not seen your trunk?"

"Yeah, but..."

He cut me off before I could say anything else. "The truck goes, Bella. We need the money and I could probably get up to fifteen grand for it the way it is."

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Fine."

"That's settled." Dad looked at Phil. "Phil, you've been awfully quiet; this affects you, too. You have any comments or suggestions?"

"I do love Bella as my own daughter and I just want her to be happy. Edward's a good kid and I know he'll take good care of her. I'll kick his ass if he steps outta line, though," Phil said, sincerely.

"Stand in line; I'll be the first," I shot back at his comment.

Mom chuckled. "In that case, there won't be any of him left for the rest of us."

"Hello! I'm right here," Edward said, waving his arms in the air. "Don't I have any say about that?"

"No!" Carlisle, Esme, my Mom, Dad and Phil, all said at the same time. "Same goes with Bella. Just continue being each other friends. Even though you'll be married, doesn't mean things have to change from the way they are now except you'll be living together," Carlisle advised as we listened intently.

After the longest conversation of our lives, we finally called it a night. I sighed in relief that it turned out a whole lot better than I expected it to. I knew our parents were still upset and may take a while to come to terms with the situation, but I knew now, that in the long run, we have their support.

* * *

**EPOV**

* * *

I had just gotten off the phone with Bella, telling her goodnight and that I loved her.

The last couple of days have been so beyond crazy and unbelievable. I was still overwhelmed with the fact that she was pregnant. I _**should**_ be pissed and hurt that it happened. I was eighteen and _**should**_ be worrying about college and thinking about what party I wanted to go to the following weekend. I _**should**_ be doing a lot of things and not becoming a teenage father, but I couldn't think of a better woman to have all this happen with.

I reached over and picked up the remote to my stereo and clicked it on. I scrunched my face up, wondering why the hell my radio was on a country music station. I didn't mind country music, but still, I don't remember switching the stations at all.

I sat listening as the DJ talked about a concert that was going to be in the area in the next couple of months, then it went to commercials. I decided to leave it alone and not change it.

I laid with my arms crossed over my eyes just listening. After the fifteen billion commercials were over, a song that I had heard before, started filtering through my speakers. The words were exactly how I felt about Bella.

_ She's like staring at the sun_

_ She could easily blind someone_

_ Other women, I see none_

___She's like staring at the sun_

I only saw Bella. To me, no other women existed in my world except for family.

_She gets on you...under your_

_skin like a tattoo_

_ She'll always be there_

_She holds __on...stuck in your head_

_Like an old song...she ain't going nowhere_

Placing my hand over my heart; it was racing just thinking about how true every word was. Bella was my sun and she's completely imbedded inside my soul permanently. She lights up everyone's day and puts a smile on my face no matter how bad the situation might be.

_She's like standing in the rain_

_Washes all my cares away_

_At the end of a long, hot day_

_She's like standing in the rain_

Bella's refreshing to me. I sigh in relief and give that one huge exhale of air when I know she's within arms length. I know I can breath properly when she's around me. My breath still hitches when I look at her; her beauty is enough to take anyone's breath away.

_She's like finally coming home_

_Seeing that light in the window on_

_After__ being gone too long_

_She's like finally coming home_

_Standing in the rain_

_Staring at the sun_

Bella was my life; I already knew that, and now, we were having a baby together. My heart felt like it couldn't get any bigger as I thought about our impending parentage. But as I lay here on my bed and thought about a little girl or a little boy, running around and putting smiles on everyone's face, my heart continued to swell with pride. I was excited about what the future held for us...together.

Yes, our parents were disappointed in us, but I knew we could prove to them that we would do this. We will be the best parents to our baby and I could be the best husband for Bella. She's my sun. She's that tattoo that's marked me for life, and our baby is only making it bigger and brighter for everyone to see.

* * *

**Next chapter is all EPOV. Let me know what you thought while reading. **

**Here's what Loopy had to say...**OH MY FUCKING GOD! That song killed me, I was reading EPOV and the words linked in as I listened and I got chills, CHILLS down my spine., tears in my eyes...Amazing... Brilliant. Loved it!

Love the song too - perfection!

* * *

**I hope for the same kind of reaction from my readers. Any writer does.**

Here's some rec's. Not many, but I've only had my phone to read on these past couple of weeks.

* * *

The Gap... by... capitalab

Curve Ball... by... staceleo

Hide & Seek... by none other than one of our all time fave authors..._**kharizzmatik**_

Shattered Hearts... by... Greye Granger

* * *

Check them all out. You won't regret it.

Until next time...

_**~Steph~ **_


	27. Chapter 27

**Yeah, I know. Almost a week late, but I've been in pain. Hard to move with my back being a bastard and going out on me.**

**Loopylou992...YOU'RE THE BOMB! No, really, thanks for the help. My brain gets frazzled and you catch my flubs.**

**Not much to say, otherwise, so here goes. Actually yeah, UM...a $49,000 fountain pen? Really? Happy Birthday KStew! Hope that pen lasts forever for that price.**

**SM OWNS...I DO NOT!**

**Update: 4/16/2013**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**Ghostly Double**

**Chapter 27**

**EPOV**

* * *

"Dude, I can't believe Bella's pregnant," Jasper said as we made our way toward the Gym to change for practice. I was quitting the team today, but no one knew except Bella and our parents.

I stopped abruptly, turning to stand in front of him. "Listen, don't blab this to anyone. We're trying to keep it low profile for as long as we can. And I need a huge favor."

"Name it, brother. You know I'll always do what I can for you," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I need a best-man and you've become a really good friend to me and I want it to be you." I stuck my hands into the pockets of my jeans, looking straight into Jasper's' face for his reaction.

He put his hands up. "Whoa, back up just a sec; a best-man?"

I nodded, answering his question. "Yeah, Bella and I are getting married in two weeks. It's what we want and her Dad insisted that I marry her because she's pregnant."

"Dude, are you sure about this? You're only eighteen; that's a huge step to take at such a young age," he said, incredulously.

"Jasper, it's not as big as Bella being pregnant at seventeen. We know we can do this. I wanted to marry her after she graduated, anyway. It's just a year and a half sooner." He still had a quizzical look on his face like he was trying to decipher a nuclear puzzle.

He shook his head. "Well, as long as you two know what you want, I'm there for ya, brother. I suppose that if it were me and Alice, we'd be heading in that direction, too."

"Please don't knock my sister up? Use as many precautions as you possibly can." I shook my head, putting my hand up. "Actually, I don't even wanna know if you two are doing it, so don't even elaborate on that statement."

He chuckled, nodding his head at me.

We started walking toward the Gym, again. I stopped, putting my arm out in front of Jasper to get his attention. Anthony was standing outside the doors where we had to enter. He had a girl on each arm, one being Tanya Denali.

I had seen him the Friday before. We definitely looked like each other, but my hair was lighter than his and I was more muscular in build, than him. And with him being a vampire, I knew he could kill me with one flick of his wrist, so I was trying to avoid him as much as possible.

"Look, just ignore him. That's the best thing to do, okay," Jasper said, trying to convince me not to say anything to Anthony.

I sighed, heavily. "I don't know if I can. He hurt Bella and he follows her around like he's waiting for the perfect moment to strike."

"That may be, but don't give him any ammunition to strike with. He's looking for trouble." If Jasper only knew what he was, he'd be heading in the other direction, away from where Anthony stood, glaring at us.

I glanced up, seeing Anthony drape his arms across both girls' shoulders. They were giggling and soaking up every word he said. They started walking toward us. When they were about ten feet away, Anthony spoke. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my long lost cousin, Edward. It's good to see ya, buddy. How's my leftovers?"

"Fuck you," I spat, gritting my teeth together. "Stay the fuck away from Bella. She doesn't want anything to do with you."

"Now, why would I want anything to do with her when I've got all these pretty little things, right here, to keep me occupied? I think you're imagining things, cousin." He smiled, evilly at me before walking away.

"I fuckin' hate that guy." I started walking toward the Gym. "C'mon, let's get practice over with."

Practice was good, but the coach was upset when I told him I was quitting the team. He told me he was losing his best pitcher, but he understood why I made the choice I did after I explained to him what was going on. He, himself, had been in a similar situation when he was younger, and fortunately, he said he and his wife were still happily married after twenty-five years, and has no regrets, whatsoever. That gave me plenty of hope for mine and Bella's future.

On practice days, I normally drove my truck with Alice and Bella riding to school together, so after practice, I went straight to Bella's house. When I arrived, she was putting books into boxes. "Hey, baby," I said when I entered her room. Her Mom and Phil were downstairs in the kitchen. Renee was getting dinner started and said she'd let us know when it was ready.

Bella stopped what she was doing and came at me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, sobbing into my chest. "Hey, what's goin' on?"

"I'm just having a bad day." She mumbled into my chest. "It started when I got up this morning. I was sick and couldn't get motivated, then at school, after our class together, Anthony was taunting me. He's got his groupies calling me all sorts of names and laughing at me. I don't know if I can handle it," she explained, sobbing, as I led her over to the bed for us to sit down. "They keep saying that Anthony's leftovers are rotten and need to be thrown out."

I sighed, pulling her into my lap. "We just need to ignore them, okay. He messed with me today, too, but nothing came of it."

"I know he's compelling those girls to say that stuff to me. I just don't know why he's making such a big deal out of all this and won't leave me alone. When he's by himself, he looks at me like, I don't know, like he can't bear to be away from me."

"I don't know, baby. We just need to take things one day at a time. We've got bigger and better things to look forward to. For instance, you my love, need to get your ass in gear and get this room packed up," I said, teasing her, poking my finger into her side.

She got up from my lap, smacking at me playfully and walked around her bed. "Don't worry, I'll have it all packed up by this weekend. I really don't have all that much. How's your stuff coming along?"

"Jasper's coming over on Wednesday after school to help me get my stuff moved in. My parents said I can go ahead and start staying out there. In that case, I can go ahead and get my shit done and we'll only have your stuff to deal with over the weekend." I got up from my spot on the bed and started helping her put more books into the box she was working on. "Oh, and by the way, you're gonna love the bed we'll be sharing. It's better than both of ours put together."

She smiled up at me, sighing before stopping what she was doing and kissed me. "I can't believe we'll be married in less than two weeks. We'll be sleeping together every night and we won't have to worry about who's gonna call whom first before bed."

"I know." I put my hands on her hips and pulled her to me. "You still sure you wanna marry me? You know you don't have to, right?"

She snaked her arms up around my neck, rising up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to mine, once again. "I'm positive." Then she giggled. "In more ways than one, actually."

"You're funny."

There was a knock at the door and Renee stuck her head in. "Hey, you two, dinners done." She stepped in, walking over to the bed and peering into the box that Bella had been putting books in. "How's it coming?"

"It's getting there. I should have it all done by this weekend, then all I'll have to worry about is all my clothes. I'm not taking any furniture with me because the apartment's already furnished," Bella explained, adding two more books to her box and closing up the flaps.

"Good, good." Renee started walking toward the door. "Oh, um, tomorrow morning, you two will be going into school late so we can head downtown and get the marriage license. I went today and got what paperwork I needed and went to the bank and had them notarized. All that's left is the license."

"Thanks, Mom," Bella said, following behind her to the door.

"Yeah, thanks, Renee. I was gonna ask, um, is it okay if we go ahead and miss the rest of tomorrow? I'd like to take Bella up to the mall so we can pick out our rings." I already had an engagement ring for her. I had snuck off to the mall the night before and picked one out. I made sure it wasn't anything too extravagant.

Renee smiled, nodding lightly. It didn't reach her eyes like her smiles normally did. I knew this whole situation was still eating at her and it probably would for a while. "Yeah, that'll be okay."

Bella caught up with her mom and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, Mom."

Renee hugged her back and I could see the strength she was putting behind her embrace. "You're welcome, baby girl." Then Renee started crying. "I can't believe this is happening. You weren't suppose to be married until you were old and gray, but now you're getting married and having a baby; I'm losing my baby."

"Oh, Mom. Please, don't cry? I'm still your baby." Bella tried soothing her mom the best that she could. "I'll always be your baby even when my new baby brother or sister's born."

"You're all grown up; it was too fast." Renee continued to sob into Bella's shoulder. "I can't believe I'm gonna be a grandma and a new mom at the same time."

Was it wrong for me to want to laugh at her? Yeah, it probably was, so that's why I kept my mouth shut and let them have their moment.

"Mom, we'll still see each other all the time and we can even make our appointments together if you want." That seemed like logical reasoning.

Renee pulled back from their hug, looking at Bella with huge tears rolling down her cheeks. "You'd do that? Share appointments with me, I mean?"

"Of course, Mom. Well, as long as you don't mind Edward tagging along, too. And I'm sure Phil's gonna want to be around for most of your appointments, too." Bella was right about me tagging along. I wasn't missing a single one, if I had anything to do with it.

Renee pulled Bella back into another bone crushing hug. "This is gonna be so perfect. We'll experience our pregnancies together." And now, Renee's mood swing's were starting to give me whip-lash. I only hoped Bella didn't develop any like her mothers.

After Bella and Renee had their endearing moment, we finally made our trek down to the kitchen to eat dinner.

Dinner lingered quietly for a little while. All that could be heard was forks scraping plates and glasses being sat back down on the table after each drink. Renee kept glancing up at us as if she wanted to say something, but continued eating.

Finally, before everyone was done eating, Renee spoke up. "So, I've got this friend that I met on Facebook, and we've been exchanging recipes with each other. She lives in England and some of the stuff she tells me about sounds soooo good, but the names of them are so funny. Have you ever heard of Spotted Dick or Toad in the Hole?"

Phil nearly spit his drink across the table as he burst out laughing. "Are you serious? Spotted Dick?"

Renee continued on, ignoring Phils small outburst, telling us about her friend from England. She told us about Yorkshire Pudding and now, Spotted Dick. I had no clue what the shit was, but the way she started to described it, the stuff actually sounded delicious. I wondered where the hell someone came up with a name like Spotted Dick for something that resembled cake? Then, out of nowhere, she pulled a picture of something that resembled dicks – actually sausages – baked with custard around them.

She went on to tell us more of the ingredients, but I was still stuck on the name of it. Images of spotted dicks, kept popping in my head. Some poor bastard out there in the world, actually had a spotted dick and I felt sorry for him because it probably hurt like hell.

"Well, I'm gonna make it one time." Renee took a bite of her food. "Oh, Bella, Your first appointment's on Monday. It's at one in the afternoon, so Edward, if you're wanting to go, you'll need to take half day off of school." I nodded, agreeing with her before she took a drink of her tea, looking over at Phil. "Will you be available for next Thursday? That's my first appointment."

"Absolutely," he answered with a smile. "Count on it."

Dinner continued on and before we knew it, I needed to leave for home. It was already past ten and Bella was sitting beside me yawning, which in turn, was causing me to yawn.

She walked me out to my truck and we stood, with my arms around her lower waist, kissing like two love struck teenagers, which we actually were. I_ couldn't _get enough of her and I _couldn't_ wait until we were living together. We would be at each others disposal anytime we felt the desire for each other. I wanted her right at this very moment, but she was tired, and in turn, I was tired myself.

"I love you," I whispered along her neck as I kissed up behind her ear. My tiredness was disipating and I knew I was turning her on. I was hoping for some groping before I left, but I wasn't expecting it.

She eased her hands under my shirt, playing with the hair that led into my pants. "I love you, too. You're driving me crazy, right now. You know how bad I wanna sneak to the side of the house and bend over for you?"

I kissed and nibbled on her neck, groaning at the thought of what she just described, easing my way up to her ear where I pulled her earlobe into my mouth and sucked on it. "How bad?" I asked in a whisper. I grabbed her hand and placed it over the bulge in my pants. She gripped me, giving me a little squeeze. "Bella.."

"C'mon, I can't take it anymore. We're sneaking back to the pool-house."

"What if your mom comes looking for you? She can see my truck's still in the driveway." I already knew that Renee and Phil called it a night around nine and were probably snoring as we spoke.

Bella let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, right. She's probably snoring Phils hearing away, as we speak."

She continued to lead the way, opening the side gate, quietly. I hoped the damned thing didn't squeak.

We hurried inside the pool-house, closing the door and locking it. It wasn't large; it only had a small kitchen, a bathroom and another room with a couch, love-seat and a coffee table. It was like a small studio apartment.

Bella pushed me toward the couch, working on the button and zipper of my pants. I yanked my shirt over my head, then reached down, pulling hers off, as well. Her yoga pants were next, with her panties.

Next thing I knew, she was straddling me, not hesitating to grab my aching cock and lining it up with her entrance. I could feel how wet she was and there was definitely no turning back now.

She eased down on me, clutching the back of the couch. I leaned forward, capturing one of her nipples between my lips, sucking lightly. I knew they were sore, so I threw caution to the wind and devoured her tits as they started bouncing in my face.

I held onto her hips, guiding her over me. Each time she'd come down on me, I'd pull harder, giving more friction where we were connected.

She arched backwards, pushing her tits into my face more. I'd never get tired of looking at her perfect body. I knew it was changing, but that didn't mean I'd love her any less. She was growing my child inside of her and any changes that happened to her body, made me love her more.

I looked down, seeing where we were connected. I felt a flutter in my stomach and I knew I was getting close. "Look, baby," I requested. "Watch yourself ride me."

Between thrusts, she moved her head, peering down where my dick was completely sheathed inside of her. We could hear the wetness that was seeping from her body. It made my ego swell beyond words. I was making her soaking wet and as long as I could always get her this riled up, we'd never have a problem with our sex life.

She glanced up at me, then grabbed around my neck, pulling me to her. She crashed her lips to mine before she began to frantically move over me. I was helping her and I knew she'd probably have my fingertip bruises on her hips the next day.

I groaned loudly as the tension began to build stronger with each movement as we were joined together. Her whimpering grew louder, which were turning into breathy moans. Each time she exhaled, the most erotic sound came from her mouth. "Oh, God, Edward, I'm gonna cum."

I began thrusting up into her, meeting her pivoting hips with mine. I felt my dick swell before I gripped her hips, tighter, stilling her as I emptied myself inside of her. "Fuck! That was quick, but it sure as hell felt damn good."

"Good?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'd say more like...exhilarating, awesome, fan-fucking-tastic."

I kissed her neck. "All the above. There's no true words to describe how you make me feel."

"Ditto." She moved to get up, my flaccid dick falling out with ease. I was soaked with both of our arousals and I knew I'd be nice and crusty by the time I got home, so I made my way into the small bathroom to clean up.

Once we were both dressed, I still couldn't keep my hands to myself. I grasped her around her waist, pulling her to me. I, immediately, crashed my lips to hers, not hesitating to stick my tongue down her throat. She didn't pull away, only wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me back.

After a few, breathless minutes, I pulled out of the kiss and looked down at her. She was so beautiful. I still wondered how I got so lucky that she came into my life. And from the starry-eyed look that she gave me, I knew she felt the same as I did.

I wasn't having second thoughts, but I wanted to make sure that she was still wanting to be with me for the long haul.

I sighed, pushing some hair from her face. "I love you. Please never forget that, okay."

"Okay," she whispered, smiling lightly.

"I'm gonna ask one last time. Are you sure you wanna marry me because I don't want you to regret..."

She cut me off with her finger over my lips. "Edward." Then she placed her whole hand over my mouth when I tried to talk, again. "Stop!" She hissed. "Look, yes, we're young. Yes, I'm only seventeen, but that doesn't mean that I'm too immature to make a decision like this. I know what I want. We wouldn't be together if I didn't. You saw how cautious I was to even start talking to you, in the first place. I love you, Edward. With my whole heart, and if you're having second thoughts about this, just say it instead of trying to coerce me into doing something I don't want to. I'm a big girl and I've been let down enough that I think I can handle it."

Her statement pissed me off. I backed away from her, pulling at my hair. "Coerce you? How can you say that? And first of all, I'm not having second thoughts. AT. ALL!" My voice raised a little, but not enough to be a full blown yell. She looked taken aback, but I wasn't letting her get away with her statement, easily. "I can't believe you just fuckin' said that. How can you even think for one second that I'd try to get you to back outta this? Do I act like I don't wanna get married?"

I was throwing my questions out, left and right, not giving her a chance to answer.

I saw tears forming in her eyes, but I was too angry to try and sooth her.

I shook my head, rubbing my hands over my face. "Bella, do you really not see how much I love you? I want this more than anything, right now. My heart hurts when I'm not around you. We're connected, can you not feel it?"

"I feel it," she whispered, a sob breaking from her chest. "I love you; I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

Her crying was making me physically hurt, so I stepped back in front of her, raising her chin with my finger. "Please stop thinking negative when it comes to my feelings for you, okay? I'm not trying to get you to back out. I'd never do that. I want this...I want us, too much to even think of such a thing."

"I'm sorry," she cried, wrapping her arms around me, sobbing into my chest. "I love you, more than anything. I want this. I want us, forever."

"Me too, baby." I moved back, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other, I used to wipe away her tears. "Now, stop crying and kiss me because I really need to go. It's almost midnight and we're both exhausted. I'm sorry for blowing up at you, like that." I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers.

"I'm sorry, too." Then she giggled. "Was that our first real fight?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I wouldn't call it a fight, per se. More like a small argument; a spat."

"Well, I don't like it." She linked her fingers with mine, leading us to the door so I could leave. "Can we forget I even said something like that? I know you love me and I didn't mean to piss you off."

I stopped us in our tracks. "Just remember to always talk to me about stuff, okay. I don't know half the stuff you're thinking, so you need to use that voice of yours and those lips...in more ways than one..." I traced her bottom lip with my thumb. "...to say what you mean, okay."

"Okay," she agreed, smiling up at me. She snaked her tongue out, catching the tip of my thumb as I caressed it over her lip, once more. "I love you."

I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers, urging them open with my tongue. She complied, leading the kiss into a frenzy that we didn't have time for. I gave in for only a moment before pulling away. "I've gotta go, baby. C'mon, I'll walk you to the front door then I'll leave. I need to make sure you lock the door before I even pull outta the driveway."

We said our good-nights, with me leaving once I knew the front door was locked and secure.

I knew she had to be nervous about the whole situation. Her being pregnant and then us getting married in less than two weeks. I was, too. I wouldn't lie. What eighteen year old, wouldn't be, but like I had told her, it's what I want and she said the same thing, and I believe her. She hadn't given me any reason to believe otherwise. She's become my life and I'm nothing without her.

* * *

**Aweee...they had their first spat. FIRST?**

**Anthony's a creepy, sly asshole, isn't he?**

**Let me know what you think...**

* * *

**Hmmm...Let me see what I've been reading while laid up in bed with my F'd up back.**

Stolen by Rochelle Allison

Always by knicnort3

Hide & Seek by kharizzmatik

The Boy At Table Seven by Lyricalkris

Deviant by planetblue

Contractually Bound by LyricalKris

* * *

**Check those out. I can't list all the ones I keep up with. I'm NOT sorry to say, but I have so many wonderful WIP's that I follow. **

**See you when I see you!**

**~Stephanie~**


	28. Chapter 28

Hi All! First off, I need to thank everyone for reading Ghostly Double. It means a lot to me that you've stuck with me, but I come to you with a plea. I've come into some major personal issues that are taking up a majority of my time. My children come first next to fanfiction and I hope that everyone understands. I am temporarily putting GD on Hiatus. As much as I hate to do this, I have too. I hope it won't take long for things to level out where I need them to be. Plus, I want to finish getting the story written. We're already quite a few chapters in and not at the height of the story yet. I do apologize and hope that you'll keep me on alert for when I come back.

Just a little info on what's been going on. My husband and I, of 19 years, have legally separated, which leaves me to contend with my children at a full time basis. Also, my thirteen year old daughter is dealing with some depression over the loss of two of her friends to death, within a month. It tears my heart to pieces to see her go through this and I need to be there for her. Please understand.

Please PM me with any questions and I'll answer. I'm also at a point where I'm so preoccupied that I'm not reading any updates that are occurring.

Thanks for everything and all the great reviews that I've received. They mean more than you know.

Stephanie


End file.
